Foreign Exchange Student
by Airheadninja
Summary: To help save Kaiba Corp. from failure in America, Kaiba must become a foreign exchange student and go to high school! Will he be able to withstand the mediocrity of living like a commoner? KxOC, just for fun later.
1. Some Traveling is in Order

**Foreign Exchange Student**

**Kaiba, an exchange student? Could get interesting. I was curious about our genius billionaire going to high school, and came up with a solution to it, which I hope is humorous enough to make a story out of. **

**I don't own anything of Yu-gi-oh! and shall always wish I was Kazuki Takahashi.**

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><p>It all started out with the top marketing advisor at Kaiba Corporation. It seemed like an everyday meeting, but this meeting was going to hold a whole new adventure for the president himself.<p>

"Mr. Kaiba, your attending of high school has greatly helped sales. Since you know what the target crowd desires, you can fulfill them. Japan has responded excellently, but some major sponsors are complaining from the United States. Customers aren't happy, sir." The marketing advisor read out, but eyes around the room went to the young president. It was true, Seto Kaiba went to school to gather information from his classmates. But what was about to come his way was nothing compared to his reaction.

"Are you saying you want me to go to America? I don't see any problem in that." Kaiba stated, but a nervous glance was passed around the room. His eyes narrowed at the action.

"What is it?" He growled, making his marketing advisor wince.

"Just going there isn't going to be enough. You need to go to high school there, sir. Through the foreign exchange program-"

"Enough! I'll go for a couple of months and stay in a hotel while running the company." Seto finalized, moving to get up and start arrangements for the time he was gone.

"You can't sir! You're still a minor!" the advisor called out.

That sentence froze the almighty Seto Kaiba in his tracks. Technically speaking, he was going to school in the U.S. and that country had strict laws for security reasons. And since Kaiba Corporation was one that preferred to abide by the law, he had no choice.

"Then how am I supposed to run this company? You morons obviously don't have the capacity to run it if you can only generate ideas by sending me out to America to get information. Go hire some loser who will go instead and get the data from him." Seto Kaiba let loose, changing his mind when he heard that he had to stay with a poor host family and actually be somewhat sociable. These restrictions were things that Kaiba never had to deal with, and he never wanted to deal with.

"But you make all of the products yourself sir! You're the genius who keeps this company running. If we lose the U.S. sponsorships and stockholders, the corporation will plummet into failure. Please, think wisely about your decision." the stock accountant yelped courageously, twitching under his boss's intense glare, but holding strong.

"Fine. Just make sure it's on the west coast. If I need to come back it'll be faster." Kaiba growled, and stormed out of the room to make preparations. His staff managers looked at each other. Had _the _Seto Kaiba, one of the most powerful of the rich men in the world given in to their pressure?

'Maybe,' thought the sales manager.

'Maybe he's feeling a bit under the weather. But hopefully he will go through with this plan. The company depends on it!'

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><p>When Kaiba finally reached Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, he didn't look forward to meeting whatever loser family he was going to be stuck with. He wasn't exhausted from the long flight; he had done it many times. But if he wanted to get all of this over with, he would have to start walking around with the group of other foreign exchange students.<p>

"Everyone! Your host families are ahead, you may go and meet them now and go to your new homes!" The guide called out, and Seto could see the group eagerly launch off to meet their families. Kaiba strolled coolly around and watched for someone to introduce themselves as his host. It eventually happened, of course. Families began to leave, and Kaiba seemed to be the only one left. Throughout the whole time, Kaiba had noticed a distressed-looking dark haired girl sitting in the area and scanning the group. He guessed she was worried that her foreign exchange student had not come. But once everyone was gone, they both figured it out.

"Excuse me," She began in faulty Japanese.

"Are you Kaiba?" She finished, once she had gotten his attention. He glanced down at her in disinterest.

"Don't bother with the Japanese, I'm not an idiot." He replied, perfect, unaccented English spilling from his lips. He brushed past her to get his luggage while she stood in shock.

"But, wait! Then, why the heck are you here? You already know English!" the host girl exclaimed, regaining her composure to catch up to him. Kaiba turned around with the same look of disinterest.

"Did you really just figure that out, or do I need to recite the alphabet for you?" He stated rudely, moving past her once more towards the exit. Her mouth was open indignantly, her hands up in a questioning manner. She hurried after him, because after all; she was his host and his ride home.

"Fine, okay, you're here for the party. I'm Marie. And of course I know you're Seto. Let's just try to get along for the car ride home, please?" Marie suggested, struggling to keep up with long-legged Kaiba.

"There won't be a ride 'home.' I'll compensate you for any troubles, but I am not going with you." Kaiba growled, getting to the taxi and bus loop. Marie stopped dead.

"What?" She yelled, but Seto kept going, so she snapped out of surprise and stomped after him.

"What do you mean? You have to come with me or else I'm telling on you to Homeland Security and you'll be deported back to shame! Besides, what do I tell the administrators at my school? They'll think that I left you somewhere and everyone will freak out!" Marie exploded once Kaiba stopped. He had finally gotten a taxi, but Marie's words had frozen him again. Might I remind you, Kaiba Corp. is known for abiding by the law. If the President and owner was deported, what would happen to the reputation of his company?

… Needless to say, silent tension and an uneventful ride home was all that Seto Kaiba got out of the situation.

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><p>It had been a week of getting settled with Marie's family, and Seto was bored out of his mind. Because of the program he had signed up for, there was still a month to go before the first day of school. The data he was supposed to be collecting was being put off. Marie had noticed that he was bored, but since she was still stung about the way he was treating her (and the disgusted remark he had made about her car didn't help), she didn't do much to help him. Marie's little sister, however, was willing to hang around all of the time.<p>

Seto's only problem was that Marie's little sister, Callia, was around five years old. And this five year old happened to love playing with dolls. Paper dolls, baby dolls, Barbies, you name it she loved it. But Seto did not, and the countless invitations to play were taking a toll on his patience. Marie enjoyed watching her guest get obsessed over by a little girl.

The day was Saturday, and Marie's father didn't have to work, but her mother had been called in. Seto was bored as usual, and sat at the kitchen table with a share of the pot of coffee. Marie's father, Kirk, was reading the paper like he always did. Kaiba was frustrated at the blandness of his exchange so far. Even if he didn't really care, wasn't his host family supposed to be showing him all of the regional landmarks and giving tours of Seattle?

"Seto, are you bored?" Kirk asked, looking over the paper at Kaiba. Seto just stared down into his coffee with a bland look. Something about Kirk was familiar, and Seto usually would have snapped a comeback instead of the docile nod he gave.

"I thought so." Was all Marie's father replied, and went back to reading the paper. Kaiba had to wonder what he meant by asking the question. It was nice that Kirk immediately recognized the fact that Seto was fluent in English and didn't mind one bit, but what was the idea Kaiba knew he was pondering?

After about 5 more minutes of silence (except for the birds chirping noisily in their glass cage) Marie came out and immediately went into the kitchen, ignoring Kaiba completely. When she came back out she was holding a glass of orange juice, looking everywhere but Seto. However, when their eyes met, she blinked a couple of times.

"Oh. You're still here. I thought this last week was going to be too much for you. Or I was kind of hoping that this past week was just a really long nightmare. You can choose whichever insult you prefer. Oh, and good morning _Dad._" She greeted with a mask of happiness over her still raging scorn for her guest and his attitude.

"Hey now, let's be nice. How about you show Seto all of the trails around here. That way you can vent some steam through hiking and Seto will get over his state of boredom. Callia can spend a day with me." Marie's father stated, and Seto realized now what the former question had been about.

"What are you talking about? He's such a know-it-all he probably already knows about everything around here." Marie bit back, shooting a slight glare at the now irate Kaiba.

"What makes you think I know everything. I know I wouldn't be in this crappy place if I did!" Seto snapped, but instead of snapping right back, Marie started to look thoughtful, like her father. Kirk smiled.

"See? He loses his cool too." He assuaged, and Seto realized another thing. He had been suppressing his anger and that was making Marie think that he didn't care if anything happened to himself or another person.

"… Alright, I suppose I can be civil, seeing as you have been very polite to my parents and especially my little sister. Let me get dressed and we'll get ready to go. You're up to an eight mile hike, right?" She asked, directed at Seto, who frowned at being cornered into doing something he didn't usually do. Kirk, during this whole bit, downed his coffee, folded up the paper and headed to his den downstairs.

"Of course I am. Where are we going anyway?" He asked, deciding not to be outdone by Marie and her civility. She answered with the first good smile in a week.

"The lighthouse. I think you'll like it there. And the trek through the woods is amazing." Marie explained, and Kaiba could see she walked this route often and was fond of it. But Kaiba wasn't entirely sold on the idea of hiking all day, seeing that they'd probably have to hike the eight miles back as well.

"Marie?" He called before she turned to get ready.

"Yes?"

"Do you play Duel Monsters at all?"

"Yep. Even though I haven't been in many tournaments or official matches, I'm pretty good if I do say so myself. I bet I could flatten you." She replied, smirking and Kaiba smirked as well. He had just realized that she didn't know that he was _the_ Seto Kaiba. She probably thought it was just a coincidence. In Seto's mind, he would play along until the duel was over and he had won.

"Do you have a duel disk?" He asked some more, and she gave him an incredulous look.

"A Duel Monsters fan like me without a duel disk? Very funny Seto." She replied, and decided that she would just leave right then to give an effect to her statement.

Kaiba (being Kaiba) always had his deck and duel disk. **Always.** And as they got ready to head out, dueling gear, supplies and all, Kaiba started to plan out his victory. And of course, how to rub it in Marie's face.

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><p>As they set out onto the forest trail, Seto had to wonder if Marie was concerned about her upcoming duel at all. The duel disk seemed to weigh nothing to her as she bustled cheerily ahead of him. He narrowed his eyes.<p>

'It must be her way of strategizing.' He thought to himself, and then had to wonder what kind of deck she had. What cards would she probably have? He would think probably everyday, only okay cards. Basically, nothing compared to his deck. Kaiba was lost in thought, and to Marie's amusement, ran into a tree that just happened to be slanting downward enough.

"Too nervous? Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Marie comforted in a mocking manner, after giggling a little. Kaiba growled, because she should be the one who's nervous.

"Don't be ridiculous. I was busy thinking about the best way to crush you." He replied, thinking that her grin would recede. Unfortunately, it only grew.

"How manly of you. Let's keep going, and watch out for trees. This _is _a forest after all." She warned, her voice dripping with her poisonous sarcasm. Marie felt the burning glare that Seto chose to shoot her. There were no more incidents that made them speak to each other, even at the trail marker which meant a quick water break.

"The bridge! Time for lunch." Marie cheered, making Seto wince at the sudden shrill noise. They sat at a bench overlooking the small bridge and stream and Marie fished out the cold turkey sandwiches. Seto accepted his and ate quietly, still fuming from the tree incident. He heard a contented sigh from Marie, which made him look very quickly to what was so great about him being angry with her.

And to his surprise, she was smiling at the serene area around them. It annoyed him slightly to see that she didn't care if he was a little stung from her comment, and that she _still_ wasn't really planning for their upcoming duel.

"Seto, isn't it just breath-taking?" Marie asked, her voice barely above a whisper. Kaiba took that moment to actually look at his surroundings. It was pretty, but nothing worth as much praise as Marie seemed to be giving it.

"A clump of trees around a trickle of water. Yes, it's just fascinating." He answered, biting a little in his comment for payback. Marie's shoulders drooped a little and she gave an exasperated sigh.

"You like to hold grudges, don't you? Look, this past week, we've just been getting off on the wrong foot. Hopefully after this duel we'll finally settle down a little and you can accept the fact that we're stuck together for a year." Marie confessed, and Seto couldn't help but feel slightly childish about the way he was acting and how Marie was acting mature.

"Then we'll let all qualms rest until after the duel." Seto agreed, but he inwardly swelled with pride. He was going to win, and he knew it. Another side of him also knew that Marie would finally treat him respect once she finally got the news that he was CEO of Kaiba Corp. And then, he could make her look stupid for not realizing it sooner. He smiled on the outside.

'Yes. Let all qualms rest…' Seto thought, and he nearly burst out into one of his famous laughs, but restrained himself. After all, he didn't want his surprise to be ruined!

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><p><strong>How be-ith them apples, good sir? It may seem like quite a bit for a first chapter, but no one likes boring chapters all that much. Review if you'd like me to know what you think. <strong>


	2. A Duel of Egos

**Seto and Marie's duel is up next! It's totally awesome! What isn't awesome is my hurting wrist... Anyways, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh, just Marie and her family. **

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><p>They got to the park they were looking for a couple of hours later.<p>

"Alright Seto, we're here! Time to duel!" Marie exclaimed in excitement, hurriedly slouching off her backpack and running to stand at one side of a field. Seto stood at the other side, shaking his head at Marie's enthusiasm. He smirked.

"Just know that by the end of this duel, you won't be so happy. I can guarantee it." He called over, activating his Duel Disk with his deck. Marie did the same, and the duel began.

"Wait, why does your Duel Disk have 8000 points?" Kaiba inquired, his own only going to 4000. Marie smiled.

"You're in America now, and around here, we duel with 8000 life points to really get things riled up. The Japanese only duel with 4000." Marie answered, making Kaiba feel a little foolish once more. He knew that, but once he thought about it again, he was glad he hadn't commented, otherwise Marie might have caught on about who he was. Kaiba flipped a panel on the underside of his Duel Disk and bumped the life points up to 8000, therefore letting the duel begin.

"I'll let you go first, you being the guest and all." Marie yelled, after both had time to study their hands. Seto drew a card and set it face down in defense mode and ended his turn, something very uncharacteristic for him, but he felt like trying something new. His Gemini Elf would provide a good defense and distraction.

"You're making a move like that? You either have a complicated plan or a stupid one." Marie called, drawing her own card. She studied for a few moments before summoning La Jinn and attacking Kaiba's Gemini Elf. The attack succeeds and Marie smirks at his defenselessness.

"That was a pretty pointless move, Seto. I set down one card and end my turn." Marie commented, putting down her trap, Torrential Tribute. Kaiba leered and drew his card and summons Goblin Attack Force, and calls for an attack, ignoring Marie's face-down trap.

"Wow, you sure are playing like a rookie for all of that barking you've done! I activate my trap, Torrential Tribute, which destroys all monsters on the field!" Marie activated, and Goblin Attack Force and La Jinn both disappeared and went to the graveyard. Kaiba growled. He didn't think it was a trap of that kind at all.

"Shut up! I'll set one card face down and end my turn." Kaiba shouted defensively, putting down his own trap Negate Attack.

"I activate Premature Burial by sacrificing 800 life points to bring back La Jinn! And now that you're defenseless, La Jinn, attack Seto's life points directly!" Marie began her turn, and La Jinn popped up once more and stormed to Kaiba, who smirked.

"Who's playing like a rookie now? I activate Negate Attack!" He flipped up his trap, and La Jinn's attack disappeared. Marie pouted in return for his comment.

"Oh shove it. I summon Seven Colored Fish (attack=1800) and end my turn." She said quietly, her energy somewhat deflated by her amateur move. Kaiba drew and grinned at the card.

"What's so awesome that _you're_ grinning about, Mr. McPompousy- Pompous-pants?" Marie called over, but she stared in disbelief as he activated Harpy's Feather Duster, taking away La Jinn because Premature Burial was a magical equip card.

"And now that your weak little fish is all that's left, I summon another Goblin Attack Force to get rid of it!" Seto attacked, destroying her fish and leaving Marie with 6700 life points. Because of Goblin Attack Force's special ability, Kaiba had to switch them to defense mode, of which they had zero defense.

"I end my turn." He stated, and Marie looked thoughtful at the fact that he had not set down a trap or anything to protect his Attack Force.

"Well, I summon Dunames the Dark Witch and use her to attack Goblin Attack Force. I end my turn." Marie returned fire, leaving Seto's side of the field void of anything. Kaiba drew Magician of Faith and set her face down in defense mode and ended his turn, confusing Marie more. She had expected a rigorous beating from Seto from the way he had spoken. But he was playing like a chump!

"I summon Ryukishin Powered to attack your face down monster." Marie executed a somewhat cautious advance, but destroyed Magician of Faith, activating her special ability.

"You've activated my monster's special ability, with which I return Harpy's Feather Duster to my hand." Seto called over, making Marie nod in understanding.

"Well, I'm not done yet! Dunames, attack his life points directly!" Marie ordered, and the witch sent a burning blast of magic at Kaiba, dropping his life points to 6200. He grunted and drew when Marie declared her turn to be over.

"I summon Vorse Raider and attack Ryukishin Powered!" Seto yelled, and watched with satisfaction as Marie's life points fell to 6400 along with her monster. He ended his turn.

"I set this on the field face down, and switch Dunames into defense mode." Marie said, somewhat ashamed of her cowardly move. Seto smirked.

"Am I scaring you too much? Because I'm about to make you feel worse! I summon Battle Ox and destroy your Dunames!" He shouted, making Marie stick her tongue out in defiance as her witch went to the graveyard. Marie hoped that her Giant Soldier of Stone would hold up for her while she came up with something to do. But it was her turn now, and she played Swords of Revealing Light.

"Now you can't attack for three turns, Seto!" Marie called triumphantly, but Seto smirked, making her stop and think…

"You moron, you forgot I have Harpy's Feather Duster, which I now activate!" He replied, making Marie slap her forehead.

"Dammit, I forgot about that! I place one card face down in defense mode and end my turn. You're so infuriating!" Marie insulted, but Seto didn't care. He still had her on the defensive and he was barely breaking a sweat. He summoned another Gemini Elf, and continued to destroy her face down card, which turned out to be Giant Rat.

"Due to Giant Rat's special ability, I get to summon one earth monster to the field. And this should do the trick!" Marie explained, and summoned Ground Attacker Bugroth. She stared at it as the hologram appeared.

"Crap, I put the wrong card down!" She squeaked, and Kaiba frowned at the very stupid mistake. How could she have played the wrong card?

"She's worse than that mutt back home." He thought, and went on to destroy the creature with Vorse Raider. Marie's life points fell to 6000. He sets down his trap Magical Cylinder and ends his turn. Marie took deep breaths to calm herself.

"There's no need to be afraid, just keep going and don't let him get to you." She encouraged herself, and summoned another Seven Colored Fish.

"I attack Battle Ox with my pretty little fishy!" Marie declared, putting Kaiba's life points to 6100.

When Kaiba drew his next card, he couldn't help but get excited, for the duel was about to end. He had drawn his ultimate beast.

"I attack your 'pretty little fishy' with Vorse Raider to get it out of the way," Kaiba started, Marie's life points dropping to 5900.

"Next, I sacrifice Gemini Elf and Vorse Raider to set this monster face down in defense mode." He yelled, and Marie could tell he was excited about something, and she had no idea why he would put something so cool face down like that. But it was her turn again and she didn't dare try to attack, lest there be a special effect to go with Kaiba's monster. And she hadn't forgotten that face down card, either.

"I set this face down in defense mode and end my turn." Marie stated, setting Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts. Kaiba laughed and Marie's eyes widened. All of a sudden, he had a resemblance to a duelist she had seen on T.V.

"I flip my card to reveal my Blue Eyes White Dragon! Do you realize who you've been messing with now?" Kaiba yelled victoriously, his beautiful dragon appearing on the field. Marie looked from it to Kaiba a couple of times before speaking.

"You're _the _Seto Kaiba? Why didn't you tell me?" Marie shouted, pointing rudely at him. He crossed his arms (somehow not disturbing the cards on his Duel Disk) and his smirk grew.

"My name should have said it all, if not my face. You've seen me on T.V. haven't you?" He answered, and her mouth closed from its surprised position.

"Yes, I've seen you. And there could be tons of people named Seto Kaiba! Just because I know someone named John Smith, it doesn't mean he was the John Smith 400 years ago in Jamestown!"

"That's a really bad example." He pointed out.

"Shut up, it works."

"Well, are you going to relinquish the duel to me since you know you don't stand a chance?" Kaiba inquired, figuring that she would back out because he was the best duelist in the world (this is in Kaiba's mind; everyone knows that Yugi's the true king).

"Hell no! You've just made me look stupid and you think I'm going to grovel at your feet just because your rich-"

"And powerful, I might add."

"Don't push it! I'm not backing out of this duel until someone wins!" Marie finalized, making Kaiba frown and uncross his arms. He didn't really have anything to worry about, but he didn't feel like putting effort into a duel he knew he had won.

"I activate my Change of Heart card to take control of your Blue Eyes!" Marie called, and Blue Eyes switched over to her side of the field. Finally, Kaiba took a look of surprise.

"And I sacrifice both the Blue Eyes and my Gazelle to bring out _my _dragon! I summon Seiyaryu!" She continued.

"What?" Kaiba said quickly. Seiyaryu was a rare dragon card, not as powerful as Blue Eyes, but a good card none-the-less. He couldn't believe she had one.

The pinkish dragon appeared, and Marie willed it to attack with all of its 2500 attack points. Kaiba flipped up his trap card, Magical Cylinder to reroute the attack at Marie's life points. It worked, and Marie's life points fell to 3400. She ended her turn.

"Your anger caused you to make a costly mistake! I set one card face down in defense mode and end my turn." Kaiba said smugly, and smirked as Marie started to look thoughtful again.

"I could attack it, but it might be a Cyber Jar! I know he has one of those, and I shouldn't risk it." Marie thought, and activated Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Nervousness welled up in her throat. If this little scheme worked, she could have a good lead.

"I play my continuous trap Type Zero Magic Crusher, meaning that for every magic card I throw to the graveyard, you get 500 points of damage to your life points. Now, I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards," Marie started to explain, and she grinned as she drew her three.

"I place two magic cards, Eternal Rest and Mass Driver into my graveyard, making your life points go down to 5100. I set two cards face down and then activate my magic card Ego of the Dragon, which allows any dragon I have on the field to attack your life points directly. Go, Seiyaryu!" She yelled, and Seiyaryu geared up for attack. Marie flipped up one of her face down traps.

"I activate Reinforcements to give Seiyaryu 500 extra attack points for this battle phase! Your life points now equal 2100. How's that for a non-champion?" Marie bellowed, and Kaiba looked surprised at her skillful maneuver of cards. The duel seemed very dull until she made this attack. Kaiba started his turn, and Marie automatically flipped another trap card.

"Just Desserts drains you of 500 more!" She told him, and his life points went down to 1600, compared to Marie's 2900.

"I activate my own trap Metal Detector, which negates your trap card for one turn. And now, I flip my monster to attack mode, Cyberstein! And due to his flip effect, I am allowed to summon one fusion monster to the field!" Kaiba explained, and Marie paled.

"Oh no…" She muttered.

"Oh yes. I summon Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" And there it was. Kaiba's very best monster, all six eyes staring at Marie as her shoulders slumped in defeat.

"It's gonna take one heck of a plan to beat that." Marie thought, and she licked her lips due to nerves.

"I also activate Ego of the Dragon to attack your life points directly, ending this duel!" Kaiba suddenly said, and Marie looked up to see a brilliantly colored Neutron Blast come her way. Her life points fell to zero and the holograms deactivated. Marie took up Seiyaryu and looked at the card sadly, before gathering her deck together and putting it back in the deck case in her backpack. Kaiba strolled over, expecting tears and sobs or something, but Marie looked up at him with a simple smile.

"You really are a good duelist. But I can't believe I didn't realize you are Seto Kaiba. No wonder I frustrated you so much. Then again, how was I supposed to expect a billionaire? Why are you here anyway?" Marie asked, hoisting up her backpack and pulling out her cell phone to check the time.

"Some sort of learning experience my company wants me to have." He replied, deciding that even though he believed Marie would never release the information, he wouldn't tell her about his data collecting mission.

"Oh. Will your company be okay without you?" She inquired while they started to walk along a road away from the park.

"It'll be fine. I'm taking it we're going to the lighthouse now? Would you like to duel there too or are we just enjoying the scenery?" Seto asked, trying to be a little spiteful. Marie shoved his shoulder a little with a lifeless giggle.

"Just the scenery. But if you keep acting like a proud little peacock I'm shoving you into Puget Sound. How does that 'sound' to you?" Marie answered, blowing off some of her steam from her loss into her words. Seto knew that she probably wouldn't, but decided it was too risky to prod at Marie yet. He had to wait to tease her mercilessly about her loss.

When they got to the lighthouse and the beach, there were tons of people there to enjoy the summer sun. It was windy, the tide was out and the water was cerulean in color. Marie breathed in the briny air and took her shoes off and rolled her jeans up.

"What're you doing?" He asked at her odd behavior.

"I'm going to walk in the water, and you should do the same. It's not very cold, I promise." She explained, and Kaiba followed suit. He didn't want to get sand in his shoes anyway. They left their stuff (Marie had found a trustworthy neighbor to watch it) on a picnic table and went off to the water. Marie practically dragged Seto along before he had finished rolling up his jeans. Marie stepped in first and let out a refreshed sigh. Seto looked at the water with skepticism and started walking after her.

Kaiba couldn't believe he was fooled by Marie's fake promise. The water was freezing cold, and he figured out that Marie had done this as a masked revenge for beating her. But Kaiba didn't make a sound and let his feet get numb all the way up to his ankles. What he also noticed however was that Marie didn't seem to mind the cold water at all. She just kept on going, looking down at the ground every once in awhile. They kept going until they came upon two boys who were dueling. Marie and Seto stopped to watch the obvious beginners for some amusement.

"I can't believe I used to suck this much." Marie commented to Seto, and he raised an eyebrow and looked down at her.

"Says the one who forgot I had Harpy's Feather Duster and played the wrong monster? Yes, you're very professional." He replied, forgetting not to push her buttons. He earned a dirty look from Marie and a shove. And not just any shove, a powerful one. It knocked him back into Puget Sound. He immediately returned to a standing position, soaked in freezing salt water. His hair was hanging in his eyes and he could hear laughter from Marie.

"I told you that I'd do that if you kept bugging me about the duel. I'll call my dad and tell him about your little incident with Puget Sound and he'll pick us up with some towels and a change of clothes for you." She said, far enough from Seto's reach so he couldn't throw her in himself. Marie ran ahead while she called her dad, and by the time Kaiba caught up with her, she was already flagging her father down.

"I am going to repay you for this someday. You know that, right?" He warned, and Marie laughed some more.

"Well, you just told me silly! I'll watch my back, I promise." She replied with her unappreciated humor. Seto got dried up and shoved into a public bathroom where he could change clothes. And once he did, it was a short lovely ride home. Seto started to plan his comeback, Marie laughed more at him, and Kirk listened to Marie.

"So, who won the duel today?" Her father asked curiously, and Marie's joyful chatter fell to silence. Seto smirked.

"I did. And she finally found out that I'm Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corporation." He stated proudly, expecting a surprised action from Kirk. But there was none.

"I thought you were him. Curious thing that you're here, but I suppose you can explain that later. Marie, did you shove him in the water because you lost?" Her dad asked sternly.

"No! I gave him fair warning not to rub my nose in it and he did! He got what he damn well deserved." She defended, crossing her arms with a huff. She glanced back at him. When they met eyes, she stuck her tongue out and turned back forward. Seto leaned back in the back seat of the SUV and frowned, also crossing his arms. The rest of the ride was silent, much to Kirk's own amusement.

When they pulled in, Marie's mother had already returned from her job and had started to make dinner for the family. Callia raced out to meet the trio, and tried to drag Kaiba into playing dolls with her. But Marie swept up from behind (much to Kaiba's begrudged relief) and started carrying the little girl.

"I feel so left out, my dear little sister! Ever since Seto came, you've been ignoring me!" Marie cried in mock-misery, winking at Seto before running into the house with a laughing little sister thrashing in her arms. This event reminded him of Mokuba, who he missed already. He shook off the memories however and went to take a shower.

The day ended with peacetime for the most part, and after Callia went to bed at seven, Seto approached Marie.

"Could I take a look at your deck?" He asked, making Marie look up from her book and cock her head.

"Only if I can look through yours. I've always wanted to hold a Blue Eyes White Dragon." She joked, and Seto rolled his eyes. Marie raced upstairs to get her deck while Kaiba sat on the couch waiting. He was fiddling with a button on his shirt when Marie returned, and she flumped herself beside him.

"Here you go. Knock yourself out with insulting it." She commented, taking hold of his deck and shifting through it. Seto frowned at the comment, but started shifting through her deck. She had a lot of useful trap and magic cards. He came upon one card that lifted his eyebrow and caught his attention.

"Marie the Fallen One?" He questioned, flipping the cards up between his fingers to show Marie. She shrugged.

"Callia gave it to me for a birthday present when I first started dueling. I've never been able to keep it out of deck. It's too important." Marie explained, making it sound simple, as if Kaiba wouldn't care.

But he did, in his own way, because he had a bond with Mokuba through Blue Eyes as well. Again, Mokuba popped up in his mind, but Kaiba suppressed it.

"It's so pretty…" He heard Marie breathe, and he looked up to see her staring at a Blue Eyes White Dragon. He nodded, not knowing if she could see his curious glance. But her rapture ended and she put his deck back together and handed it to him in return for hers.

"Your deck is awesome, which is to be expected of course." Marie stated awkwardly, knowing that her deck was far outranked by his, even though she loved it.

"Yours is okay." Was all he said, and they turned away from each other as Marie continued to read her book and Seto watched the news with little interest. Seto wondered if Blue Eyes was Marie's favorite monster, which also led him to wonder about who her favorite duelist is. He smirked at the thought that it just might be himself.

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><p><strong>... And of course Kaiba won, because it's Kaiba. At least Marie got some payback, right? Stick around for the fated First Day of SCHOOL! Reviews are beautiful. If you would like to be beautiful too, please give me some. <strong>


	3. Happy Little Learners!

**Ah, school has come again, and Marie and Seto are seniors! What other surprises come with Kaiba that Marie never knew? Read on, to find out! *cue cheesy music* Welcome back, friends! I don't own Kaiba or anything YGO!**

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><p>After the day of the duel, Marie and Seto were finally somewhat acquainted with each other. The rest of the time between then and the first day of school was spent school shopping and lounging around the house. Marie took Seto and Callia out for drives every once in a while, but with the rising gas prices and Marie's refusal to borrow any money from Kaiba meant they didn't go anywhere. It was finally the day before school started, which meant orientation. AKA textbooks and schedules.<p>

"Welcome to Kingston High School, Kaiba. Lord have mercy on your soul." Marie greeted in a cheesy pirate accent, for the school mascot was a buccaneer. Kaiba's brow raised, but he didn't say a word as they crossed a small bridge with Marie's mother in tow.

"This school is tiny." Kaiba pointed out as they walked into one of the two buildings. Marie shot him a bemused look.

"Yes, very good Seto. I think you're going to do very well here." She replied with a sickeningly-sweet tone of voice to mock any preschool teacher. Seto crossed his arms and looked off to the side. He knew by now it was useless to try and get into a match of wits at that point. It was the wrong place to be having such arguments.

"Looks like the photo line is long again. Well, better get in before it gets worse. Marie, stand with Seto and I'll go to the office to get your schedules." Marie's mother, Georgia, suggested, and bustled off before the two could put a word against it. Marie shrugged and looked up at Kaiba.

"Are you ready to get the always embarrassing yearbook photo, rich boy?"

"What?"

"Didn't think so." Marie said quickly, and they both were handed forms to fill out from an employee for the photographer as they entered the line.

"My mom wants pictures for herself, so check this box right here. She already gave me checks for both yours and mine." Marie explained, pulling two signed checks from her pocket. Seto gave her a strange look.

"What? My mom and I have been doing this for three years already. Might as well know what the fourth is going to be like." Marie defended, handing a check over.

"Why does she want my pictures?" Kaiba promptly asked, hesitant to let some random person have something personal like that.

"Memories, I guess. When you go back home we won't really see much of you. Especially because of your job." Marie elaborated, and the two waited in silence as the line slowly moved up. Marie waved to acquaintances that passed by, and even talked a little to those who stopped.

After they got their pictures taken (Seto didn't smile, by the way), they received their student I.D. cards, and Marie told Seto to follow her outside. There, two ASB students were taking money for ASB stickers. Marie paid for both hers and Seto's, again because she was prepared. Seto couldn't believe how expensive two little stickers were.

"Thirty-five dollars for a tiny sticker? What does it do?" Kaiba asked, staring at his card with little interest.

"I have to have one because I'm in band. It gets me in free to all of the games I play at. Otherwise, it gets you reduced price for tickets to games and dances. You have to have one if you apply for an off-campus lunch pass too." Marie explained, making Kaiba grunt at the ridiculousness of it all. Americans were too much trouble.

"Mom, I'm over here! Did you get the schedules?" Marie called, and Mrs. La May turned with a look of relief. She nodded, but waited for Marie and Seto to come to her. She handed them their respective schedules. Marie tore hers open in excitement, wondering who she had when. Seto was less enthusiastic.

"Hey, I got Ms. Boss for AP Lit, this is awesome! And Mr. Burchill for AP Calculus! Hooray!" Marie bounced up and down, and Seto looked at her in wonder.

"AP Calc? I'd never guess that from the way she acts." He thought, it being proven by the way she was acting at the moment. He looked down at his and Marie peered over his arm to compare. Her eyes widened in confusion.

"Every class? But that means you're in band too! When did you audition for Wind Ensemble? WHAT INSTRUMENT DO YOU PLAY?" Marie shouted, scooting away and pointing her finger dramatically. Band Camp had finished before Seto had come, so she had no idea he was to play.

"As the adopted son of a rich man, I was brought up in excellence. That included extensive piano lessons. I didn't sign up for these classes, one of my employees did, and he must have sent in an audio tape of me playing when I was younger." Kaiba explained, crushing his schedule and throwing it into a nearby trash bin. Marie's jaw was dropped, but she nodded and moved on.

"Okay. The room where we took the pictures is the band room, and this," She gestured to the large, high-ceilinged room around her.

"Is the commons. This is where we eat lunch and have band concerts because it transforms into an auditorium." Marie pointed out a large, stack of auditorium chairs against the back wall. Marie moved on to show Seto all of the classrooms and other important rooms. She explained the 'pod' concept, and they filled out a form for a shared locker and one for off-campus passes. They were about to leave when Marie's name was called.

"MARIE, OH MY GOD!" A girl squealed as she came through the doors of the building they were heading to. Seto quirked his eyebrow as Marie was tackled (to her annoyance, he noticed) and began to have her ear chattered off.

"Rin! Knock it off, it hasn't been forever since we last saw each other." Marie scolded, though with a broad grin on her face.

"Who's that?" Rin asked, finally noticing the ever so tall, sun-obstructing Seto Kaiba.

"This is my foreign exchange student, Seto Kaiba. Seto, this is one of my best friends, Rin." Marie introduced, but Rin didn't say anything because of the unnerving, nonsensical stare Kaiba was giving her.

"Hi. Well, I've got stuff to do, so I'll see you tomorrow!" Rin finally gave in to her nerves and ran off. Marie waved and rounded on Seto (making her mother roll her eyes and say she was going to wait in the car).

"Did you have to be so cold? Not even a freaking handshake? You're going to scare all of my friends! Try to be a little friendly towards them!" Marie yelled, slapping his arm in anger. Seto's eyes narrowed.

"It's not my fault they're weak-willed." He responded, and he started to follow her mother to the car.

"They are not! You're just the big, looming iceberg to my friends' Titanic!" Marie spat, having to practically jog to keep up with Seto.

"Now that was a good metaphor."

"Don't change the subject! Listen, I'm not going to grovel for some mercy on my friends, but I don't want you to be treated like dirt. Despite the fact that I think you kind of deserve it." Marie confessed, making Seto stop. He looked down with an angry expression.

"I don't need any protection or friends! I got where I am today because I relied on myself!" He growled, making Marie blink several times, and then look dejectedly at her feet.

"I thought that we were getting along fine, but… If you want me to leave you alone Kaiba, then that's what I'll do." Marie thought determinedly, not bothering Kaiba anymore about the subject.

They barely spoke to each other the rest of they day, making Marie's parents sigh in exasperation. It would be a _long _year if they kept acting like this. Kirk and Georgia started to plan something to make them get along, because they didn't want this stress to strain their family. So, after all had retired to sleep (as they went to bed earlier for the school night), they planned.

"Marie, it's time for school!" Kirk whisper-yelled, trying to be quiet for Callia, who was bunking with Marie since Callia's room was transformed to be Seto's. Marie stalked out of bed with a groan, shutting the door behind her father and peering out her bedroom window. The first grays of dawn were peaking over the horizon. She got dressed, maneuvering around her little sister's sleeping form to get out. Marie looked longingly at her sister, wishing she could sleep in as well. The only comforting thought was that Callia was starting Kindergarten and would have to wake up in about an hour.

Seto was already awake and ready, his textbooks that he needed right away in his silver briefcase. He was sipping at some coffee when Marie lugged herself in, grabbing her backpack and sliding it on. Seto finished his coffee and stood to leave, shoes on and ready to go. Marie finally noticed him, a look of confusion on her face.

"How are you awake? And what's with the briefcase?" She asked tiredly, picking up her keys and turning to put on her shoes.

"Unlike you, I am prepared for any situation, including ones where I don't sleep at all. And I thought school didn't start until eight o'clock." Kaiba snorted, and Marie grinned, grabbing a mid-sized instrument case.

"Jazz band tryouts. And unless you want to ride the school bus, I suggest you come along for the ride. And seeing as you're such a great pianist, I'm sure you'll be roped into trying out too." Marie informed, and out the door they went. Kaiba didn't like the sound of the school bus, so he didn't complain.

"Marie! You're here! I'm assuming that this is the foreign exchange student Seto Kaiba?" the band director asked excitedly (the guy was still in his twenties!) and Marie nodded. The rest of the people trying out for jazz band welcomed the duo, introducing themselves to Kaiba, who just nodded politely in return.

"My trumpets! This year is going to be a good year! I can feel it in my knees." Marie informed a group of four others. Kaiba went and sat down at the upright piano and watched the mob slowly come together.

"Excuse me, but can you even play the piano?" A voice asked from behind Kaiba, and he looked to see a snobby-looking guy peering down at him.

"Does it matter?" Kaiba returned, and the guy rolled his eyes.

"Are you going to try out for jazz pianist or not? You don't look very competent." The guy insulted, and Marie heard. She groaned.

"Not Snider, he's such a snob! Seto will kill him for his transgressions." She thought to herself, and went to convene, but Seto leered at her to get her to back off. Marie then saw that he was settling himself to play, and the whole group stared as he began to play.

"No wonder he brags so much. I've never heard a piano played so well." Marie told herself, impressed with the amount of skill he had. But like all beautiful things, this one had to come to an end.

"Welcome everyone to jazz tryouts 2011! It's good to see some new faces and to see all of you excited for jazz." Mr. Alder exclaimed, and started handing out a piece for sight reading. Snider and Kaiba glared at each other, and Seto knew now that he had to show his superiority at this moment, because Snider had pissed him off.

"Snider, Seto, I expect you to switch off on pieces. Now let's warm up, B-flat scale, up to the ninth and down!" Mr. Alder instructed, and so the first day of auditions began. By the end of the zero period they were in, Seto had left Snider (and the rest of group) in the dust. Marie approached him about it as they went to AP Government for first period.

"Okay, I figured that you were good, but not _that_ good. Do you like playing piano at all?" Marie blurted, and Kaiba eyed her with annoyance.

"Again, my stepfather wanted me to have an elite education when he adopted me." He answered, and went on ahead of Marie because he didn't feel like talking to her after yesterday.

"Pinhead." Marie muttered under her breath, but sped up to get to class on time.

First period was boring for Marie, as she was seated away from any of her normal friends, and away from Seto. But it was different for Kaiba, because the setting of the classroom was very unlike anything he had undergone in Japan. They were at two tables pushed together to seat four, and Kaiba's cold aura made his table group quiet. They whispered to other tables about the foreigner, some good, and some bad. But nobody was awake enough to really do or say anything of real consequence to Seto.

Second period found the two in concert band, where Kaiba met up with many of the same people from the jazz auditions. They didn't do much, just more introductory explanations of school rules.

Third period landed them in Japanese 4 (for Marie, anyway), and she was seated in the back with one other student and was forced to sit with Kaiba. The class held not only Japanese 4, but 2 and 3 as well. It wasn't very crowded, and all of the people there regarded everyone else in a friendly manner. This period is when things started to get interesting.

"Ohayo Gozaimasu, Min'na-san! Natsuyasumi wa iiyo ne?" The teacher greeted, and it was obvious that she was native to Japan. She didn't start a lesson in particular (just more school rules), but did ask for answers to her question. And somewhat to Seto's dismay, Marie brought the attention to herself and Seto, dragging him to the front of the class.

"This is Seto Kaiba, and he'll be with us all year. Why don't you let him introduce himself in Japanese, sensei?" Marie asked (in Japanese of course, but I really don't want to utterly confuse people and have to write tons of translations), and her teacher introduced herself to Set first before agreeing. Kaiba had no choice but to be formal and polite to Mikio-sensei, and the rest of the class was livened at his appearance.

"Hey, are you the actual Seto Kaiba? Because I've been hearing around school that you were around." A second-year Japanese student asked, rudely interrupting Kaiba during his intro. His glare proved to be efficient in quieting the classroom before he continued.

"Yes, I am Seto Kaiba. I run Kaiba Corporation and am staying with Marie for the year. My company needs me to go through some learning experience." He finished, knowing that the 'whys' would pop up, so he popped the balloon before it was inflated. Marie and Mikio-sensei nodded in satisfaction, and Marie tapped Seto's shoulder to tell him that he could go sit down.

And of course, we now have lunch time! Mobs of teenagers flooded into the commons seeking food. There were shrieks of recognition and welcoming, and Seto thought they were increasingly annoying. Marie didn't head to the lunch lines right away. Instead, she went off to a corner of the commons where one of the long tables ended. Kaiba followed, not knowing of anywhere else he could go.

"Hey Marie- oh, who's that following you?" Marie's friend Carri pointed out, and Rin frowned in recognition. Marie turned to find that Seto had followed her.

"Since when do you act like a lost little puppy? I thought you didn't need friends." Marie shot poignantly, and Kaiba glared.

"I don't, but I don't want to seem like a loser sitting on the stairs." He retorted, sitting down next to Marie and putting his briefcase on top of the table. All of Marie's friends stood a little to see what was in it while he opened it.

"You made lunch for yourself? Are you afraid the food here is poisonous?" Marie inquired, watching as he took out his healthy, homemade lunch. In truth, Marie was kind of impressed that he did it by himself, instead of ordering someone else to.

"No, I just have better taste and will not fall to your standards of what you call food." Kaiba answered her once more, and Marie was surprised that her friends grinned at his comment.

"Wow, he speaks English so well!" Carri commented, while Rin nodded, apparently having forgotten the coldness Kaiba had shown her.

"Yeah, I can't believe he's sitting with us." Opal (another of Marie's group, the final one to be mentioned) added. Marie looked at them all with an incredulous look.

"Are you kidding me? He's such a jerk, just wait and see!" Marie mouthed, turned around so Kaiba couldn't see. Her friends giggled and waved her off, and went to go join the lunch lines. Once they were gone, Marie put her arms down in front of her and slammed her head on them. Kaiba kept on eating, though he glanced at her from time to time.

"Here." Marie heard, and she looked up to see Kaiba had produced another lunch bag. Her brows furrowed.

"For me?" She asked, taking it slowly from Kaiba's hands. He nodded.

"Your mom told me that the lines were going to be long today, so she asked me to make lunches while I was up. Otherwise I'd be eating that slop." Kaiba nodded his head towards one of the lunches that was in sight. Marie had to agree it didn't look very enticing, but all special feelings about his last cold comment and about making her a lunch disappeared.

"You're full of shit, Kaiba."

"I thought you were angry at me still."

"Which is why I say you're full of shit."

"Who's full of what?" Rin asked, appearing with her lunch along with the other two.

"Nothing. Seto and I were just having civilized conversation. Right?" Marie explained. Seto nodded. Her friends all sat and the conversations about summer ensued. By the end of lunch, the three girls that were Marie's friends were used to getting the cold shoulder from Kaiba, and didn't seem to mind one bit. Kaiba left before the bell rang, and Marie's friends took the opportunity to talk about Kaiba.

"He's hot!" Opal exclaimed, almost too loudly, and Marie and Rin shushed her. Marie's face leaked red. She never did like having talks like this, but it always happened because her friends were typical teenage girls.

"I know. Marie, you hit the jackpot with this foreign exchange. If you don't take a crack at him, I just might." Rin commented, looking out at the door where Seto had exited.

"He's the Casanova type, Rin. He'll lead you down a rope, whether he knows it or not, and then break your heart." Marie answered, her group laughing at Rin's change in expression. Carri looked at Marie slyly.

"Why, did he do that to you?" She mock-innocently thought aloud, causing Marie's face to explode red.

"No! I just know that because he's an idiot! I've lived with his stinky attitude for a month now, and I would never be attracted to someone like him!" Marie defended, and her friends could tell it was the truth by the degree of anger in her glare. Marie hadn't thought about Seto in that way at all until just now with her friends. And she could honestly say that she didn't sculpt any sort of future between them, besides that of always bickering. Thankfully, Marie's friends dropped the issue once the bell rang, and they all headed separate ways, except for Rin, who had AP Literature as well fourth period.

Rin immediately slid into the seat next to Seto, making Marie roll her eyes and slide in next to Rin. Marie couldn't believe that her friends found the whole 'I'm a total jerk' thing to be attractive. A _real_ attractive man would act kind and not argue so willingly. He would be her Superman, a total gentleman. Not stork-legged, grumpy, and pretentious Kaiba. Marie, for the rest of the day, couldn't understand at all. And of course, Kaiba didn't notice that Marie was distracted by something; he just figured she was ignoring him again.

It was all fun and normality, until, apparently, the paparazzi caught wind that Seto Kaiba was an exchange student. Marie's thoughts flew back to that little moron from Japanese who confirmed that Kaiba was famous.

"Excuse me miss, but are you Mr. Kaiba's host?"

"Is there some special reason he's at _your _house?"

"Are you two dating?" The reporters bombarded, and Marie covered her face from all of the camera flashes and questions.

"Why the hell are they here on the first day? Couldn't they have waited a little? And why do people always ask if there's a flippin' relationship?" Marie screamed in her head, praying for someone to save her.

"She has no comment you opportunistic hyenas. Now get out of our way!" She heard Kaiba yell, and his hand took her wrist and dragged her out of the crowd. Marie looked to see that the crowd of crewmen and reporters couldn't keep up while Marie and Seto ran for her car. They quickly got inside and sped away.

"Don't go back home just yet. They'll just follow us there. Go somewhere that'll be hard to get to." Kaiba ordered, watching for news vans and the like. Marie did as told, but began thinking about something he had said.

"Since when did he start calling my house 'home?'" She thought, and discovered that it was the first time he had used the term. Her faithful car thankfully took them to an outlandish spot that Marie knew of, back in the farm country of her area. For Marie, it was an adventure that she knew she would never experience again, because Kaiba was already making calls for the reporters to be dealt with. And after he was done, he said again; "Let's go home."

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><p><strong>Seto is finally home, but how long will the block against the paparazzi last? And marching practice is coming soon! <strong>

**The translation, for non-speakers of Japanese, is "Good morning, everyone! Summer Vacation was good, yes?" **

**Reviews are nice, and you would not believe how happy I get when I read them! And a very special thank you to those who are reading, reviewing, and tagging this story! **


	4. A Squabble that Counts!

**I finally mustered up enough time to write this chapter! And I thank all of you who have reviewed, and I'm sorry for not replying. Something funky is going on! Anyways, I don't own YGO, or any of the channels I list later, or anything that is obviously not mine! You people are smart, you can figure it out! Enjoy!**

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><p>Seto's start to the third and final day of his first week was a good one. Mr. Alder had wrapped up the auditions for the Jazz Ensemble and Seto had won out over Snider.<p>

"Snider, you're going to be here for another two years (Snider's a sophomore) and Seto is leaving after this year. I promise you'll be playing some." Mr. Alder tried to ease, but Snider hurried off after the news was posted and he had demanded an explanation. Seto was just going to leave the band room when Snider pushed past him, anger clearly evident. Seto didn't glare back, but smiled smugly. No one dared insult any of his talents and got away with it.

"Poor Snider. But Mr. Alder does have a point, Snider will be here for awhile." Marie said from behind, and Seto turned to see her gazing at the posting of jazz recruits. She was on it, of course. Her trumpet playing was the best in the band.

"Hmph. As long as he doesn't try insulting me again, he should remain unembarrassed." Seto answered, and Marie gave a puzzled look before just leaving the comment alone and following Seto to AP Gov. They were on neutral speaking terms at the moment, and had been since the attack of the reporters. When the two walked outside the band room, a suited up man in black with shades inclined his head.

"Morning Roland." Marie greeted, as Kaiba hadn't bothered. She had had to get used to bodyguards being around, now that the public knew Seto Kaiba was out and about in America. Roland smiled slightly in return, but returned to being serious. Marie sighed. Maybe spending too much time with Seto made anyone a stiff. She was starting to feel all of the fun being sucked out of her.

"Hey Kaiba, are you ready for marching rehearsal on Monday? We're going to pick up where we left off from band camp (Marie had explained extensively what band camp was the night before) and you'll probably be in the pit. Wonder how that's going to rub off on your ego?" Marie inquired, elbowing Kaiba's arm.

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't plan on participating in such mediocre activities."

"Yes, and Duel Monsters is _so _important to one's life. Besides, if you don't participate, you'll fail the class." Marie said, sneering at the change of Seto's expression. The word fail was ringing in his ears. Kaiba never _failed. Never!_

"We'll see what happens." Kaiba responded with a growl, crossing his arms and looking away. Marie grinned because she had finally won some sort of argument.

"Hey Seto! Hey Marie!" Rin called, passing the two on her way to choir. Marie waved, a little perturbed that Rin had addressed Seto first. I mean, she had been friends with her longer!

"Well, how has your morning gone?" Rin directed at Seto, but he ignored.

"Jazz band went well. Anyways, we have to get to class. We'll talk more at lunch, okay?" Marie hurriedly replied, and Rin nodded with enthusiasm. Marie rolled her eyes, her head turned so Kaiba couldn't see.

"I can't believe she's going to try and get him to like her. **We** aren't even on steady ground, and it's been a month!" Marie thought, disbelief creeping into her attitude. She glanced up at Seto, who held his usual scowl as they entered the classroom and sat down.

"He never smiles. Except when he's winning at that stupid card game. And even then it's not really genuine. My Prince Charming will smile all of the time, you can bet on that!" Marie decided, nodding her head to herself.

Seto watched Marie acting strange, as if she was having a discussion with someone who wasn't there. At least when he was thinking about something, he didn't act insane. Throughout the day, he noticed that Marie was committing these random conversations of insanity with herself, though they were always mumbled.

When lunch came, Seto dreaded what he knew was coming. Everyone would want to sit near him because he was famous and rich. He hated scum who tried to suck up to him. The only reason he could stand Marie's friends was because they acted civilly and had actually helped his bodyguards with crowd control when it involved Marie.

"Seto, how has your day been so far?" Rin greeted, and Marie sighed again and sat in her usual spot. Fortunately, Rin didn't dare screw up the seating; Seto wanted to sit next to her. Marie didn't understand why, but she guessed it was something about reporters or something like that.

"Or maybe he's already annoyed with Rin? I wouldn't blame him." Marie thought, watching Rin stand next to the already seated Seto. He had answered her question with a simple, unemotional reply, but Rin wasn't fazed by his disinterest to talk. He pulled out his lunch (he had just decided to make his lunch everyday; the food in this school looked disgusting) and began to eat. Rin shrugged and went off to join the lunch lines. And, like usual at this point, Kaiba pulled out another lunch for Marie.

"Why do you keep making lunches? I have money you know." Marie commented, but accepted the food none-the-less. She often wondered why he even knew how to make these lunches, because he was rich. Didn't he have people to do that for him on a daily business?

"I don't want anyone of your decency to endure such sad excuses for food." He answered, as though it were extremely simple. But it only puzzled Marie more.

"Since when did he have a heart? I'd think he was tired of my argumentative attitude towards him." Marie pondered, biting into a turkey sandwich.

"Um, how did you learn to do any of this? Someone like you definitely doesn't need such a skill." Marie inquired, looking up to see him staring down with nostalgia at his lunch.

"My little brother. Before we were adopted, I used to make lunches for him all of the time." He answered, and Marie could tell, even as he tried to hide it, he missed his little brother.

"You have a little brother? How did I not know this?" Marie asked, imagining a mini Kaiba who had his big brother's gutsy smile. Marie nearly frowned at the image. The world was wrong enough with one Seto Kaiba. She couldn't fathom having a second one running around.

"Because you're an ignorant fool." Kaiba answered with a smirk, and Marie elbowed him.

"Hey, don't abuse your exchange student Marie!" Rin called, running over carefully so she didn't spill her lunch everywhere. Marie groaned and turned to face Rin once she sat down.

"It's not abuse; it's divine punishment." Marie defended, and took the final bite of her sandwich.

"Whatever." Kaiba said behind her, which made Marie smile, unbeknownst to him.

"Hey Rin, I think he just agreed with me."

"You're just beating him so he'll say it doesn't happen."

"Kaiba isn't that much of a baby."

"Hey!"

"What, it's true! You do nothing but sulk when you lose at something!"

"At least I'm not a sore loser and take revenge like a spoiled brat!"

"Excuse me? You do the same thing, you twit!"

"Then who pushed me in the water last month?"

"You were asking for it" … And the argument shifted between Marie and Seto and went on for the rest of lunch. Carri and Opal shook their heads.

"There seems to be lot that happened in the month before school. More than Marie has told us, anyway." Carri commented, earning nods from Rin and Opal. Rin stared at the two. Sure, it had only been a couple of days since she and Seto met, but that was no excuse to not go for it. Rin believed that just waiting would mean she would miss her chance at anything. But as she stared at these two, she didn't understand why Marie acted so annoyed when all _she_ did was argue with him. Rin figured that he would take more interest in someone who actually wanted to be nice to him, rich or not.

"Then again, he's here for the whole year. There's plenty of time for things to change." Rin calculated, and went back to her food. She knew Marie had no interest and probably never would because of her high expectations.

The lunch period ended and Marie and Seto were again staying away from each other. Not even rabid fans would go near at this point because the anger radiating from the two would get them maimed.

"Marie, maybe you should get away from him for awhile. Why don't you sleep over at my house tonight? Opal's already going to be there." Rin suggested, coming up behind Marie and whispering in her ear. Marie shrugged.

"I'll have to ask, but it'll probably be fine. And thanks, I really need to vent." Marie answered, and Rin was glad to hear Marie felt like talking. What Rin wasn't happy about was that she was now stuck between the two enigmas, because of the way she had seated herself between them two days before.

A bunch of bodyguards showed up near the end of school, to escort Kaiba and Marie to her car through the masses of people. Marie was glad that Seto made sure that there wasn't a repeat of the first day. Marie didn't like being crowded too much.

The drive home was quiet and tense, and very reminiscent of the drive home from the airport.

"Marie." Kaiba started, and Marie grunted so he knew she was paying attention.

"Tell your friend that I'm not interested when you stay at her house tonight." He said, and Marie's eyebrows furrowed.

"He heard that? Geez, is he superhuman or something?" Marie thought, but nodded her head in response. Marie knew that just because Seto had declined before Rin had even really done anything, Rin wouldn't give up until he broke her spirit. Now _that_ was something Marie was afraid of. Rin may be spunky, but once she was hurt she was shattered. Marie didn't want to see her like that ever again.

They arrived home and went about their usual business. Marie announced that she was staying over at Rin's house and packed her things. Kaiba was going to hole up in his room and study, but Callia soon put an end to that plan by dragging him off to play.

Marie watched as this happening with a small frown on her face. She understood now why Kaiba was moderate towards her little sister, but still, Callia could get annoying. Why was he so obliged to be so nice?

"I'm leaving! Have fun without me!" Marie shouted into the house, before shutting the door behind her. Marie got in her car and sped off for Rin's house.

Opal and Rin welcomed Marie with smiles and tackle hugs, glad that she could make it. The three began to chatter their stress away, changing into swimsuits and lounging in the hot tub.

"So Opal, what do you think of Seto so far?" Marie asked, having not gotten an opinion from her yet. Opal stroked her chin thoughtfully.

"It's actually kind of entertaining to watch you two fight. But at least he doesn't want to hurt you." Opal answered, and I gave her a confused look.

"If he didn't want to hurt me, he would have kept his mouth shut instead of making snide remarks all of the time." Marie argued, but Opal shook her head.

"You would've been completely upset if he really did hurt you Marie. I think he enjoys the intellect you have going for you." Opal suggested, making Marie's face burn slightly.

"Rin, tell her she's crazy." Marie ordered, and Rin obliged with a grin, earning a splash in the face from Opal.

"I'm not crazy! Carri said the same thing when I was talking to her about it!" Opal cried, crossing her arms and flipping her bangs out of her eyes.

"Well, I think Seto is a good addition to our group. Even if all Marie can do is bicker with him." Rin gave her two cents, and there was silence. Marie took a deep breath.

"You remember what I said about Kaiba being a Casanova? Well uh… He's caught on to you Rin. He told me to tell you he's not interested," Marie blurted quickly, and Rin gave her a skeptical face.

"I swear to god, Rin! We can call my house right now and he can tell you himself!" Marie yelled, putting up her hands defensively. Marie wasn't jealous or anything like that, she just didn't want Rin to get ahead of herself.

"No, I believe you. But I'm not going to give up. He's only known me for a couple of days!" Rin exclaimed confidently, and Marie smiled with relief. She knew Rin would react this way, and Marie hoped that Rin was strong enough to face such a task.

The girls eventually got out once the conversation had led them to get hungry. The food was great, and for the rest of the night, Marie could relax and have fun on her break from Kaiba. They were having the usual talk before they went to sleep in the pitch darkness when Kaiba was brought up again.

"So, what exactly happened a month ago, Marie?" Rin asked, and Opal expressed her desire to hear the story as well. Marie sighed and looked back at the memories.

"Well, Seto had challenged me to a duel, and…" Marie started, and by the time she was finished, both of her friends were out cold. Marie thought about Kaiba before she went to sleep however.

"He said I was a decent person. Maybe I've been too hard on him." Marie pondered, rolling onto her side, and closing her eyes.

"Nah, that arrogant ass deserves it."

* * *

><p>Seto's night without Marie was somewhat torturous. He couldn't believe how much better things were around Marie's house when she was present. Without Marie, no one could distract Callia from begging and pleading for him to play with her. Seto wanted to say no, but he couldn't. Even if Marie was angry at him a lot of the time, she would probably be enraged if she found her little sister broken hearted.<p>

However, Seto got a release when Georgia woke up from her nap. She told Callia that he had to study and do homework. Kaiba couldn't get out of the downstairs playroom any faster. Up the stairs he went, and shut himself in his room. Kaiba took out his computer and connected to the internet. From there, he accessed a file to Kaiba Corp and gave a report of anything he had figured out. After that was done, he did what he had wanted to do a while ago.

"Marie La May was invited to Duelist Kingdom _and _Battle City? When did she get well known enough for that?" Kaiba exclaimed, having found her records in his database. He searched for any news articles or anything about his host, and found quite a bit.

"Marie La May storms the Emerald City Tournament, La May wins Washington award for Duelist of the Year, Duelist La May qualified for National Tournament…" Kaiba listed off the headlines of different newspapers from the area. Kaiba sat back in his chair after having shut down his computer. Why hadn't _she_ told the truth about her own dueling fame? Was there something she was trying to hide?

"Why didn't she go to Battle City or Duelist Kingdom? She was obviously good enough." Kaiba muttered, knowing that she was far better than many of the other duelists who had competed. There was a knock on his door awhile later, and Seto answered to see Mrs. La May.

"It's movie night tonight. It's our tradition for when school starts and we would like for you to be a part of it." She explained, and Seto frowned slightly. Since Callia was in Kindergarten, the movie would probably be lame. But Mrs. La May didn't take no for an answer and Seto reluctantly made his way downstairs. Mr. La May had popped a huge bowl of popcorn and was putting in the movie when Kaiba arrived. He sat in his usual spot ( that was normally next to Marie's place on the sofa) and just watched.

"Marie will be sad that she missed this one, daddy." Callia said, and Seto looked to the little girl. Was Marie actually interested in childish movies? But the movie started.

It was Disney's The Princess and the Frog, one of the newer animated features. Kaiba sat back and prepared to be bored. But the glint of interest never left his eyes as the movie went on. The music was all jazz, and Seto determined that that was one of the main reasons why Marie enjoyed this movie. Kaiba stared up at the ceiling after the movie was done.

"She's probably bad mouthing me right about now." He thought, knowing Marie was frustrated with him. But his mind wandered. When was the last time he and Mokuba had just sat down and watched a movie? Kaiba couldn't remember. And this fact just so happened to make him feel sad.

"Mokuba…" He muttered, getting up and going back to his room. It was late and Seto felt like sleeping.

* * *

><p>Marie returned home Saturday morning and was greeted by her parents, who were awake. Marie had decided to be back early because of plans her parents might have for the weekend.<p>

"Hey, where's Seto?" Marie asked, looking about for her tall acquaintance.

"He's not awake yet, I guess." Her mom answered, and Marie set her bag down and blinked. And an evil grin came to her face. She raced back to the bedroom area and quietly sneaked open the door to Kaiba's room. She tiptoed over to see him on his back, looking serious and like he was almost faking it. Soon after this thought came to mind however, Kaiba turned onto his side, mumbling something. Marie studied the look on his face. It was so calm, and he didn't look so angry anymore. She wondered if he ever looked like this when he was awake.

"Marie! Leave the poor guy alone!" Kirk whisper yelled, ashamed that she would treat a guest so poorly. Marie did as told, and made sure to shut Kaiba's door quietly behind her.

"I can't believe he sleeps." Marie told her father, who chuckled a little.

"Yes, sometimes it does seem that he's not human at all, I agree." Mr. La May answered, putting an arm around Marie's shoulders. Marie giggled and shook him off, heading downstairs to the family computer. After all, she had some homework to do!

Kaiba came downstairs an hour later, and found Marie toiling over an AP Gov assignment. She seemed frustrated with something, and hadn't noticed he was standing there watching her bang her head onto the table.

"Is China giving you that much trouble?" Kaiba asked finally, ad Marie looked up with a sheepish grin.

"China can go screw itself."

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I don't know where to find a detailed report on Chinese government from an American standpoint! Americans just say they're communist and leave it at that. Nothing useful at all." Marie confided, slamming her hands down in anger and frustration. Kaiba sat in the computer chair next to her and opened the internet. From then on, it was his time to show off.

Marie was irked that she was forced to rely on Kaiba to finish the assignment, but was glad at the same time. He had volunteered to do it. Sure, he had thrown in insults to her I.Q. and complimented himself, but he still helped her. Marie was thrown off a little. Maybe her little break from Kaiba had affected him, too. They were done not long after Kaiba showed her some government sites to finish up.

"Hey Kaiba, what movie did you guys watch last night? We always watch a movie on Fridays during the school year." Marie explained, curiosity filling her words.

"The Princess and the Frog." He answered blandly, standing up and walking out, Marie following him.

"Aw, I love that one! I wish I could've watched it with you guys! How'd you like it?" Marie asked, poking his arm with a knowing smile. Kaiba was not a princess movie type, and she was interested in finding out how he dealt with such torture.

"It was okay. I could tell that you liked it because of the jazz." Kaiba pointed out, and Marie confirmed.

"Yeah, that's a big part of it. But I love the whole thing, you know. Music isn't everything." Marie elaborated, making Seto look back at her quickly. They both sat in their regular spots on the couch and turned on the TV. Marie controlled the remote, and she went straight to the cartoon channels.

Nothing piqued her interest, so she then looked at the History Channel. Nothing. Next, the Travel Channel. Nothing cool there either. So, Marie just turned it to the weather channel and watched. Kaiba figured out that this was her default channel for whatever reason.

"I love the weather channel." Marie sighed contentedly, tapping her foot to the background music of Local on the Eights. Kaiba didn't get her diverse areas of interest when watching TV. He was surprised she didn't watch the Gaming Channel.

"Marie?"

"What?"

"When were you going to tell me about you being a champion duelist yourself?"

* * *

><p><strong>Oooh, Marie's been keeping secrets, as we've found out! Why didn't she go to Duelist Kingdom and Battle City? Well, marching rehearsal comes next, including getting Kaiba sized to a marching uniform! That's always humorous! Reviews are helpful, and keep reading!<strong>


	5. Electric Triangle!

**Gosh, I'm so sorry it has taken so long to update this story! School has been super busy and with band stuff going on... Well anyways, here's a marching rehearsal! **

**I don't own Kaiba. Pfft. Like I would ever. He ain't no slave! He, and Yu-Gi-Oh! belong to Takahashi Kazuki. **

**And to answer Revpreg: Yes, he does go to school in Japan, but honestly, I wondered why he had to when he had been brought up with a super education. So, I came up with the thought that he does it for either publicity or data gathering for his products. I also made him go to the U.S. for school instead of hosting an exchange student because Japanese customs are hard to explain sometimes. Thank you for giving me something to think about! ^_^**

* * *

><p>"What?" Marie asked, her eyes squinting. Kaiba dug out an article he had printed out. Marie saw it and he watched her reaction change from one of confusion to one of understanding.<p>

"Oh, _that_ whole thing. Well, I didn't think it was important. You can't tell me it's so wrong when you didn't tell me who you are. So, what about it?"

"Did you go to Nationals?"

"Yup, that's one big tournament I actually got to go to. It was tons of fun, I met the Vice President, and Mr. Pegasus, and…" Marie listed off, counting events on her fingers.

"I don't care about that, what place did you come in?" Kaiba scoffed, and Marie glared.

"I got second place. I was beat by some machine loser, who was later found out to be a cheater in Duelist Kingdom. Man, I wish I had been there to beat him myself." Marie started, but got caught up in anger from the memory.

"Why didn't you go?" Kaiba asked, and Marie looked at him like he was missing something obvious.

"Do I look like I'm rich? All of the money I win from the tournaments is put towards college for both me and my sister. It's not to go around the world and travel. And it just so happened that I was busy with AP testing when it was going on. It's the same with your Battle City. I wanted to go, and it was one that I was willing to screw college for, but my parents refused to let me go. It's kind of stupid when the American Pacific Coast Champion can't go to these elite things, but card games don't bring the best of lives. Well, I guess you're the exception. I haven't really dueled since I was forbidden to go to Battle City a year ago. That's why I was rusty when I dueled you." Marie explained, not looking at Kaiba in shame.

"You know, there were scholarships for people like you in both of those tournaments."

There was silence, as Marie looked like her puppy had just been run over by a truck.

"DAL GAMMIT!" She screeched, springing up and going into some crazy frenzy of a dance. Kaiba feared (just a little) for her sanity and got up to leave the room.

"YOU!" Marie yelled pointing at him as he just reached the door. Seto froze and turned with an uncaring leer.

"… Are _so _bad at getting that type of information out to people. I missed the biggest freakin' tournaments in history and I could have gone so _easily!_" Marie mumbled afterwards, her anger done, and she went into a thoughtful pose. Kaiba rolled his eyes and continued to leave. He had just obtained an opinion that could help his company.

"Better communications with customers. Perhaps Marie isn't so useless after all." Kaiba thought, shutting himself in his room and pulling out his computer. It was about time for some big changes to the Kaiba Corp. web page.

* * *

><p>Seto Kaiba officially hates marching. No enjoyment at all. The ridiculous style that this particular band uses is the chair step, meaning the knee goes up to a ninety degree angle. Kaiba had to learn this step at the beginning of the marching rehearsal he was currently in. Now, he was seething with rage because of his placement in the pit. He was given the triangle. <em>The TRIANGLE! <em>Had he been so reduced of pride that he now had to endure playing a dinky little instrument such as this?

Marie loved it all, from watching Seto glare at the drum major who was teaching him to march to watching his expression change when the pit section leader handed him a triangle.

"Hey, Mr. Egotist! How do you like marching so far? Isn't it fun?" Marie mocked, but Seto glared his answer back, making Marie grin.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you're the only one attacking yourself. I mean, I think everyone's too scared to really try to make fun of you. Besides, we don't act like that here. At least, I try not to act that way. Besides, there are people who would kill to play the triangle! You've got a cool little flourish of playfulness on your part!" Marie tried to assuage, but Seto didn't change his stance on his view of marching.

"'Flourish of playfulness?' Do I look like that kind of person to you?" He growled, and Marie frowned slightly while raising her eyebrows.

"You own a gaming company. You've got to have some inner child in you to manage that." Marie stated, and Seto looked to the side, his frown lessening. Knowing that she had gotten him to think, Marie went off to take her water break the band was on.

"Seto Kaiba, will you please go to the band room to get your uniform stuff!" Mr. Alder called over his microphone speakers, and Kaiba skulked back to the band room, glad to be away from the pack of losers on the field.

"Hello, dear, we're going to get you into a uniform and order you some spats, shoes and gloves. What size are your shoes?" An older lady asked, busily unrolling a tape measure and flipping open a notepad at the same time (mad skills!).

"11."

"Alrighty then. Could you take off your coat so I can take measurements properly? Please?" She asked next and Seto gave a grunt while he slipped it off and flung it onto a chair nearby. The coat was too expensive to just throw on the floor. Seto stood glaring for the next ten minutes as his measurements were taken, noted and he tried different uniforms on. The one thing he didn't like was the shako. Why? Because Marie just so happened to waltz in for some measurements herself.

"Pfft… Ha-" She began, and threw her head back and laughed. Seto, of course, is enraged by this action, and pulled off the stupid hat thing.

"Stop it!"

"Why? You were laughing your butt off in your own little way when you found out that I was stupid enough to not see those stupid scholarships! You should have learned by now that revenge is always sweet to me!" Marie yelled back, though not in contempt. Her smile was wide and her eyes full of humor. Kaiba realized she was joking around, and just scowled.

"What're you here for?" He asked instead, getting ready to leave for the bathroom to change into a prospective uniform.

"Getting measurements. I somehow missed getting my shako fitted at band camp. Why, you nervous that I'll see you in a band uniform?" Marie returned, hitting the bull's eye.

"Hmph, I'm never nervous about anything. You'd see me in a band uniform at some point anyway, right?"

"That's true. Wow, never thought you'd give in to fate so easily."

"Trust me, if I had a choice I would burn the stupid thing."

"Please don't. They're actually quite expensive. Mr. Alder would kill you, even if you did pay for damages. You rich lug." Marie stated, but let Seto go change so she could get a tape measure wrapped around her head. She started giggling uncontrollably when Seto came back in.

The uniform was a perfect fit, for the most part. Only the hems on the ends of the bibber legs needed to be adjusted. Kaiba looked ferocious, and Marie was too enthused to really care. Today had been a righteous day of humiliation for her spoiled guest.

"Nice job, Julia." I complimented, the band parents nodding in return.

"Nice job indeed, I'm impressed with myself." She commented thoughtfully. Kaiba turned tail and went right back to change out of the uniform. A shako was handed to Marie once he got back.

Seto watched as she carefully maneuvered her hair to fit under the shako, and she looked like she had cut her hair really short once she had it on correctly. Marie felt him staring at her and turned to meet his gaze. Marie stuck out her tongue and promptly took her shako off, her hair cascading down in almost a perfect manner.

"Marie, I don't know how you do that." Julia asked with awe, while Marie shrugged.

"It doesn't act like this after a game." Marie admitted, handing her shako back with a smile of gratitude and turned to Seto.

"Ready to go back out?" She inquired and Kaiba nodded, serious once more.

"The people in this 'pit' might be legally stupid, you know." Kaiba commented, walking beside Marie at a slow pace instead of making her jog.

"Hey! That's true for maybe half of them, but I have some friends in there too! Besides, we don't badmouth another person on the team." Marie reprimanded, wagging her finger at Kaiba sternly.

"Teams are weak anyway."

"Oh really? I'd like to see you get a high score as a one man marching band, then!"

"You couldn't pay me."

"Why would I pay you, you could pay yourself."

"Which is why I wouldn't do it in the first place." Kaiba finished, and decided that he didn't want to talk to Marie much anymore at the moment. They were almost to the field anyway.

"Mr. Alder, I'm back! Where are we?" Marie called, alluding to which position the band was in at the moment. Marie grabbed her trumpet and got set with her section.

* * *

><p>"Okay guys, you did an excellent job tonight with the focus. The goals for tonight's practice were met, and you guys haven't missed a beat from band camp! With that... ONE TIME!" Mr. Alder yelled, and the drum chorus started for the school fight song. Kaiba stood watching as the throng of band students cheered and proudly played their fight song. In his mind, it was just noise. Noise that didn't have a purpose and didn't belong anywhere in the realm of music. He didn't understand how any of these people enjoyed it.<p>

Once they were finished, Mr. Alder instructed them to meet with their section leaders for section goals. Kaiba rolled his eyes and walked towards Marie, who had a gathering of 15 trumpets around her.

"Hey, Seto! We have a meeting too!" Lead snare drummer called, and Kaiba turned slowly with a glare, thinking that this foolish person was trying to mock him. But what he saw was indeed a gathering of pit members and drummers, ready to share thoughts and go home. Seto trudged over, knowing that Marie would just send him back there anyway.

"Okay, you guys are really getting the hang of this pit stuff! Kaiba, we're glad you're here with us playing some of the auxiliary percussion. As for you guys," Lead snare pointed to everyone not in pit, carrying a drum.

"Your steps had more shuffle than an iPod! Let's get going guys! I want it fixed by next time! Now go home, get some rest." He finished, and Seto felt like he had just done something completely pointless. In his mind it was; it wasn't constructive on his part.

"Seto, time to go! Unless you want to walk home I suggest you hurry up!" Marie called, waving him over while standing next to the ever-so-faithful Roland. Kaiba strode past her and went on ahead of her to wait next to her car. He felt like being alone after being around so many people. Roland stumbled after him, while Marie slowly made her way after.

"I wonder if he's really tired or something. I hope Cory didn't say anything stupid." Marie mumbled, bothered because that would mean dealing with Seto's bad attitude on the way home.

* * *

><p><strong>It's a little short, but meant to be that way. I don't want to add anything beyond band rehearsal for right now! And guess what? More duels are on the way! Review please, and thank you to those who have already in the past!<strong>


	6. Hello Seattle: 1

**I figured it was about time I update this story! I've been so busy with my other YGO! story, An Historic Discovery, to realize I was leaving this one in the dust. That is not my intention at all, and so let's get groovy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Mulan, Pocahontas or Hercules (Disney), Anywhere that is mentioned in Seattle, and the YGO! characters. All places mentioned are real and you can go visit them if you haven't already! **

**CenturyLink Stadium is the new name for Qwest Field. Washingtonians have abbreviated it to 'Clink.' Pretty awesome, right? Though not as epic sounding as Qwest... **

**Enjoy the chapter I have worked hard on! ^_^**

* * *

><p>The weekend after the first full week of school brought some travelling. Seto Kaiba <em>finally <em>got to go to Seattle, the Emerald City. Marie was more excited than he was, and Callia was ecstatic. Both girls loved the city, much because they didn't live there.

"Seto! Psst! Wake up, it's time to get ready!" Marie squealed into the CEO's room, and Kaiba sat up with a groan. The Saturday morning had been one of the few times Seto felt like sleeping in like any normal person.

"We're really going to Seattle? I've already been there, I don't need to go again." Kaiba complained, trying to find an excuse for not going so he could sleep.

"Don't try that on me! Besides, you've only seen the ritzy side, not the friendly, human side that most know it for! Now get up!" Marie shot down , pulling the blankets off of his bed for good measure and storming out.

Seto frowned immensely, not finding Marie's fussing very flattering. Kaiba had never really been mothered like that before, and he was glad that by the school year's end he would never have to experience it again. He was not happy by the fact that he was only one week into the school year.

Marie was ready to go and once Kaiba stepped out into the front room after brushing his teeth he was dragged outside and seated next to Marie. Callia sat in a car seat and was talking excitedly with her sister. Seto rolled his eyes, put his seat belt on and crossed his arms. Marie turned to ask him a question when a rare sight was had: Kaiba yawned. Not hugely, but he did. Marie's eyes widened, and she turned back to Callia.

"I have a feeling I was just going to get a grumpy answer anyway because he's up early." Marie thought. Kirk and Georgia entered the vehicle and Kirk started the car out on their journey to Seattle.

"Seto, do you have any preference to music. Callia has to listen to mild stuff, if you get what I'm saying." Georgia asked, looking through a CD holster that said CALLIA MUSIC on the front. Kaiba shook his head.

"Fine, I'll answer for you, because she can't see you. He shook his head no." Marie relayed, amazed at how tired Kaiba was.

"Alrighty then, what do we want to listen to?"

"Pocahontas!"

"Callia, we listened to that the last two times. Can't we listen to Mulan?"

"But Marie, this isn't music for you!"

"So? I like Disney music as much as everyone else! I vote Mulan!"

"Pocahontas!"

"Mulan!"

"POCAHONTAS!"

"MULAN!

The girls started bickering and their parents sighed.

"I wish Renaud was here for a visit. The girls have gone crazy without their mediator." Kirk commented to Georgia, who nodded. Kaiba heard and was awake enough to ask who Renaud was.

"Who is this Renaud? Is he a close family member?" He asked, and the girls stopped bickering. Marie turned with a gleeful smile.

"I'd say so! He's our brother! Renaud is a missionary and is off helping people in Africa. He's the best brother ever!" Marie praised, Callia agreeing fully.

Kaiba immediately thought of his brother again, who always praised him the same way. The girls finally decided on Hercules and there was a stop for coffee in Kingston (where they go to school) and Kaiba was thinking about his beloved little brother the entire time.

"Hey Seto, do you have any brothers or sisters?" Callia asked once the family was on the road again. Marie looked up expectantly but frowned a little at the look in his eyes.

"He misses his brother. And of course I have to praise mine right in front of him. Dick move on my part and I don't even have a dick." Marie thought guiltily.

"His name is Mokuba, and he's my little brother. He's helping to run the company while I'm here." Seto announced, and the whole family generally just nodded. Marie smiled, and patted Seto's arm. He looked over quickly with his usual scowl back in place.

"What about your parents?" Callia interrupted as Marie was about to say something. Seto's back straightened and Marie noticed his super cold demeanor come back into place.

"None of your business." He growled, his voice low. Marie looked worriedly at the exchange student. Kaiba glared down at the hand still on his arm. Marie gasped and withdrew her hand.

"I'm sorry about that." Marie mumbled, and there was a cold silence from Kaiba the rest of the way until they stopped in Tacoma.

"Have you ever been in Tacoma, Kaiba?" Kirk asked, as they stretched in a beautiful area. It was a university they were stopped at, and Marie was gazing around in awe. Seto got over his attitude about thinking about his stepfather to ask why she was acting strangely.

"Not that it isn't normal, but what's up with you?" He asked, trying to sound as uncaring as possible.

"This is the University of Puget Sound. It's the college I really want to go to after I graduate. Isn't it beautiful?" Marie answered, her breath taken away so her voice was faint. Seto looked aorund at all of the brick buildings, some old and some new.

"It's not that impressive."

"Easy for you to say, you can basically go wherever you want. My SAT scores and grades are already good enough for this school, which is pretty impressive because it's nicknamed 'Harvard of the Northwest.'" Marie explained, her matter-of-fact tone making Kaiba lose interest completely. He didn't like to be preached to. He sure as heck wasn't going to let her treat him like a petulant child.

"Okay kids, back in the vehicle, we're done causing havoc for the University today." Kirk called, starting up the engine as a warning. Callia was already buckled into her booster seat. Marie slid in with little difficulty to the middle and buckled quickly so that Kaiba's butt wouldn't be in the way.

On Kaiba's way in, he tripped. Long legs aren't always advantageous, especially in situations where you have to scrunch them up and duck your head to get into a car. Seto was so fortunate as to ram his face into Marie's lap, making her squeal in surprise. Seto immediately pulled himself up to see Marie staring down at him.

And unbeknownst to both, they were slightly blushing at the closeness (and Seto was a little embarrassed and mad at himself for such a bonehead move).

The brief moment of staring ended when Seto's usual air of coolness took over once more and he slid in without a word.

"Marie has big eyes. They're almost pre- No. Such foolishness will only get in my way. It's just a normal human reaction because of these damn hormones. Nothing special at all." Kaiba convinced himself. Truthfully, it had not been the first time he had thought about a girl for a second, and noticed some attractive quality. But he always determined it was hormones because he was a teenager, and brushed it off.

Kaiba had no idea that Marie was thinking about the same thing.

"His eyes are so _blue_! I've never seen such wonderf- Oh, drop it Marie. Just because he's pretty doesn't mean he's nice. You're way too good for him and it's only hormones that are making you think this. Hah, I've got control of this! I said I wasn't going to have a relationship until I was in college and I meant it!" Marie thought determinedly, ready to defend her thoughts as worthless and with no support.

But, as all we readers know, this is a romantic comedy. We know they're both kidding themselves. But let's just believe for now that they aren't noticing each other's eyes and get back to going to Seattle.

"Wow... Seattle is so big!" Callia sqeaked, plastering her face to the window. Still awkward about Seto's trip, Marie stared out the window with her sister instead of leaning over Kaiba to see through the window.

"Where should we go first?" Georgia asked, just about as pleased as being in the city as her daughters.

"Uwajimaya! Seto's never been to an actual market before! Then we can go to Pike's Place Market!" Marie excitedly, going on to ramble about all of the things she wanted to buy. Kaiba looked at all of the people roaming the streets on the cool clooudy day. He couldn't believe so many people would be out in such gloomy weather. Not that he cared any.

"Uwajimaya it is, then. You just want to go into Kinokuniya don't you?" Kirk asked, and Marie scratched the back of her head embarrassed.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Why don't you give Seto the basic facts about where we're going Marie?" Georgia suggested, sneakily trying to get her daughter to stop being so awkward. Kirk and Georgia had a plan already, and they were going to see it through. Marie stiffened and her eyes glanced at the CEO turned away from her.

"Well, we're going to a grocery store, only Asian. You've never even been to one from your home country so I figure that it'll still be a learning experience. The bookstore has basically the same background. Pike's Place Market is famous for having tons of vendors that sell different kinds of stuff. If we're lucky, we'll get to see them tossing fish around. It'll be fun. Perhaps we can even go to Clink Stadium someday to a football game." Marie babbled, not caring if Seto was listening or not. He was, but made it look like he wasn't. In his mind, it didn't matter.

"Well, why don't I drop you two off so you can get a head start on explaining Marie. I'll go find a parking spot." Kirk suggested, pulling up quickly to let the two teenagers go.

"But I wanna go too!" Callia whined, moving to undo the seat belt around her. Georgia leaned back into the car with a stern frown.

"I am not trusting you with those two. You're going to stay with me, got it?" She said, making Callia quiet down and fidget.

"Yes momma." She said defeated, but Marie pat her head.

"It won't take too long for you to catch up Cal." Marie comforted, and slipped out and shut the car door. The car disappeared around the corner and Marie watched after them. Something was tugging at the back of her mind saying that her father's behavior was strange. Usually he would have waited for everyone to be able to go instead of dropping a couple off and leaving.

"Are we going in or not?" Kaiba asked, his voice low but not angry. Marie nodded and she looped an arm around his with a look of distaste.

"To make sure we don't get separated. We may be a friendly city, but any city has its bad people. So don't argue." Marie explained, before Kaiba couldn't say any different. Seto figured that the security was more for her than for himself; she was a girl, and not a bad looking one-

"No." Kaiba stopped himself from returning to that tangent immediately. Marie led him throughout the store happily and showed him all of the books and CD's. The bookstore had one corner where they could both relate however: Duel Monsters.

"Oooh, Industrial Illusions just came out with some new cards! They usually come out here first because of one certain famous duelist who lives in the area." Marie giggled, picking up three booster packs and retrieving her debit card from her wallet. Seto raised his eyebrow at the comment.

"You? I thought you didn't like attention and fame."

"I don't, but this happens to be a useful perk. And- Oh no..." Marie went quiet and wide eyed when she saw a particular magazine. It was Duelist Review, and it had she and Seto on the front. Holding hands as they ran away from the paparazzi.

"IS SETO KAIBA DATING FAMOUS AMERICAN DUELIST MARIE LAMAY? THEIR SCANDALOUS RUNAWAY FROM REPORTERS INSIDE!" was in big bold letters around it. Seto glared harshly and motioned for the now appearing Roland. The bodyguard had been there the whole time, and had driven his own car following Kaiba.

"Tell Amamiya to take care of this mess. And call Denise. She'll be assigned to Marie from now on. Hurry up!" Kaiba ordered briskly, and pulled Marie away to a secluded corner of the store, hidden away from people to look.

"What the hell was that about? Are we in danger or something?" Marie inquired, pulling away from the suddenly cautious and authoritative Seto.

"We might be. I'm the CEO of Kaiba Corporation, and I naturally have many enemies. My people took care of anything those reporters had. But someone tipped them off and gave them those photos. Someone is trying to put us in the eyes of the world, which can distract from my business. I don't know what all they would do to humiliate me or distract me, but they might hurt you and your family. So keep your eyes open and tell your father to keep his open as well." Kaiba explained, looking around for any hidden cameras or anyone spying on them.

"You don't think they would hurt us, do you? You're a gaming company, not a black market hub!" Marie argued, but Seto shook his head.

"My stepfather had built a business off of war. He still has many enemies, and they all usually like to take their anger out on me."

"Heh, that sucks. Here, I'll tell my dad we're heading to Pike's Place Market now. There are tons of places to hang around that are hard to find. Including a french place I've been dying to eat at!" Marie exclaimed, and Seto stopped briefly before he could be dragged off again.

"You're not supposed to be happy about this."

"No, but this is exciting. And you shouldn't have to bare the brunt of your stepfather's enemies. Even if I'm just a foolish commoner, I'll help. You _are _my exchange student, after all."

"Stereotypical American behavior." Kaiba chuckled. Marie smiled as she led him through the streets in a hurry after sending her father and mother a text message.

"Hey, I don't have a gun!"

"True enough."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes, in Japan the stereotypical American has a gun and likes to shoot stuff while being loud and obnoxious. If they're being mean, of course!<strong>

**Seattle episode two will come soon, and yes, Marie is in danger. But she's fine with that. So I don't really care. **

**And I put a little hinting in there for you all. It is still a romance, after all.**

**Reviews are wonderful, and I enjoy them all! Thanks for reading and I hope that life is going great!**


	7. Hello Seattle: 2

**Hey everyone, Seattle part 2 is here! Due to some pestering *cough* Miko Hayashi *cough*, I have written this chapter earlier than I had planned. Not that I mind.**

**I do not own YGO!, anything mentioned in Seattle, Seattle, or any saying from YGOTAS that I happen to put in here.**

**That being said, have fun finding YGOTAS stuff. **

**I'm going to start doing this for some enjoyment... **

**FUN FACT ABOUT THE STORY!- Marie's father is named for James T. Kirk from Star Trek! If you hadn't figured that out already, then now you know! Have fun reading!**

* * *

><p>"Marie, we can't just leave you two alone! We should go back home!" Kirk practically screamed over the cell phone. Marie held the device away from her ear as Seto watched with amusement.<p>

"Dad it's okay. Seto sent for another body guard and Roland is back already and everything is being taken care of. We don't know for sure that whoever tipped off the reporters has malicious intent. We're just being cautious. That's all. Why don't you and mom take Callia home and we'll come home with Roland? We'll be safe, I promise." Marie persuaded, switching from foot to foot on instinct. She and Seto were in an empty part of Pike's Place and Marie had received a call from her concerned parent.

Kirk sighed and had to agree. The reason being that he was on the ferry going back home. He couldn't pick them up even if he wanted to. It had been a part of the plan to let the two teens resolve their differences in Seattle, but now that this had happened…

"Just be careful honey. Both of you are recognizable by many people." He stated, and Marie laughed.

"Don't worry, we brought our decks and dueling disks. We'll be fine. Here, why don't you hear the words from Seto?" Marie suggested, and promptly shoved the phone into Kaiba's hands. Despite being taken by surprise, he kept his composure.

"I've called for Denise Thomas, a well known martial artist and one of my employees for when I come to America. She will be staying with Marie at all times." Kaiba stated matter-of-factly, backing up what Marie had said.

"Alright, I get it. But let me warn you: If anything happens to my baby girl, it won't matter if you're rich or not. You **will **regret the day you were born." Kirk growled lowly, and Kaiba smirked. Marie gave a confused look and Kaiba shook his head.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He answered, and Kirk hung up on him.

"Have what any other way?" Marie asked, crossing her arms.

"Nothing. Now are you going to take me to that French restaurant or not?" Kaiba countered, and Marie shrugged off her former question and turned on her heel.

"You're paying. Let's go Roland, Seto." She called.

"And why was I listed last?" Kaiba inquired, wondering why his bodyguard was being addressed. Seeing as Roland is basically supposed to be invisible, it was weird to hear him mentioned.

"We're supposed to be blending in with everyone else here, Seto. That's why you're not wearing one of your fancy-shmancy trench coats that you love so much. If we have Roland following us like he's guarding us, we're going to stick out no matter how much we disguise our beautiful selves. If he acts like a normal person with us, nobody will think we're rich and/or famous." Marie explained flatly, sound logic spilling from her lips.

"That still doesn't explain why Roland's name came before mine."

"Alphabetical order, dimwit."

"Typical American behavior."

"Are you going to say that every time I do something American? Because it's kind of stupid to say when you're _in _America. I mean, of _course _I'm going to act like an American, I am one! I wonder why everyone always says we're so viole-" Marie rambled, and Seto clapped a hand over her mouth to save himself.

"French restaurant." He ordered, and Marie led he and Roland around Pike's Place and the throng of people. They had to go across the food market section of the place, and it just so happened that it was time for the ceremonial fish throwing. Marie stopped Seto so they could watch, she explaining the tradition that was upheld every day. Both famous duelists completely ignored the people around them. Except for one fateful little boy.

"Hey Dad, isn't that Marie La May? And Seto Kaiba?" He asked innocently enough, but all eyes were turned to the two in that exact moment.

"Crap..." Mari thought, and they were bombarded with people requesting autographs, duels, and answers to questions.

"Seto! Run away somewhere they won't follow you! Roland will follow you so you'll be fine! I'll handle the crowd here!" Marie called over the storm of fans, and Kaiba was going to agree when someone calmed the crowd by calling her out.

"Marie La May, long time no see! I was surprised that you did not come to Battle City and consequently made my way here to see you!" The strong voice yelled, and everyone looked to see...

"Oh great, the Freaky Fish Guy." Kaiba thought, crossing his arms moodily.

"Mako? You're in Seattle now? Since when?" Marie greeted, running over to him as people made a path. Kaiba followed slowly as he watched them start to converse.

"Don't tell me she's friends with this loser." Kaiba pleaded on the inside, but it turned out that she was smiling.

"Hey Seto, you should know who Mako Tsunami is, right? He's one of the people I became friends with during the Emerald City Tournament a couple years ago. I also helped him search for his dad around here, seeing as Washington has tons of coastline. Mako, Kaiba is my foreign exchange student." Marie introduced while Seto frowned (as usual) and Mako stood confused yet amazed.

"Seto Kaiba an exchange student? Why is that?" Mako asked to no one in particular. Marie shrugged while Kaiba narrowed his eyes and looked away, watching Roland disperse the crowd.

"None of my business either, he's just here. How have you been doing? Did you sail here by yourself? I heard that you finally garnered enough money to buy your yacht." Marie answered, getting the feeling that the CEO was going to show his stinky attitude.

"I already said I was here to see you again. And I did sail down here from Alaska. I still haven't found my father though. Anyways, how about you?" Mako asked in return, the two walking away from the busy part of the market with Seto in tow.

"Just the normal; school, band, and dealing with Kaiba. Everyone is fine on the home front. Any special reason you came seeking me out?" Marie inquired slyly, reaching for her deck.

"Yup, I came for the annual duel! How about we go in the haunted room around here?" Mako suggested, and Marie agreed heartily, shoving her deck into her duel disk.

"Hold on a minute! We shouldn't be making any more noise to make anyone notice us. Marie, there might be someone tailing us!" Seto warned, Roland agreeing right behind him. Mako tilted his head to the side.

"Tailed? Are you in danger or something? Wait! The Duelist Review! Is that what this is about?" Mako figured out, and Marie's face screwed up in a kinda-sorta face.

"A little. But he's just being a ninny right now because his dear little company is in a spot of trouble. Let's go, we'll be fine." Marie brushed Kaiba off completely, making him step back in surprise when she gave him a vehement glare.

As they walked away, Mako leaned down to Marie's ear.

"Are you two really dating? OW!" He squeaked, being pulled around by his ear that Marie impulsively grabbed.

"We are not, and we have no inclination to. Never in my life would I consider him at all." Marie spewed, though her mind was telling her other things.

"But this morning and his eyes. And his voice..." her mind sighed in content. Marie nearly followed that train of thought, but saved herself by shaking her head and thinking about tubas. Tubas always cleared her mind. And as always, it seemed to work.

"I'm gung-ho about this duel, but I totally need to go to the bathroom quick. Be right back!" Marie excused herself, jogging towards a nearby bathroom.

* * *

><p>It had been ten minutes since Marie and gone off to the bathroom. Mako knew girls sometimes took awhile in the bathroom, so he wasn't exactly worried. When Kaiba arrived, he had a different emotion.<p>

"She's in the bathroom? How long has she been gone?" Kaiba growled, having finally decided to just let the duel proceed as quickly as possible.

"Not very long. Nothing suspicious anyway." Mako shrugged it off.

Another five minutes went by... and another five after that...

"It's been twenty minutes!" Mako yelled impatiently, and Kaiba looked up from leaning against the wall.

"Twenty minutes? You idiot! You told me she was only in for a small amount of time!" He yelled, grabbing the collar of Mako's shirt.

"Mr. Kaiba! I'm here! I'm sorry I'm so late, traffic over the bridge was horrid. Where is Marie La May?" a deep, feminine voice called out. The figure was tall and slender, but well built. Her blonde hair was put back into a braid and her face was clear of cosmetics.

"She's missing, and the last place she was was the bathroom over there! Go see if anything is wrong!" Kaiba ordered, dropping Mako and pointing towards the bathroom. Denise nodded and hurried herself over.

"Dammit." Seto cursed, his gut telling him that they were waiting for the opportune moment that Marie had given them. He ran up to the doors and stood waiting with Roland. As much as he would like to barge in and figure out what the hell was going on, the bathroom was not closed off and therefore could have ladies in there still.

Seto's anger fired up even more at the disappointed and ashamed-looking Denise that returned from inside.

"She's gone, sir. But whoever took her left her phone, with one message for you." She murmured, and Kaiba snatched the phone away to read.

"We've snatched your precious girl, and we don't plan on treating her nicely. If you want her and her family to be safe, let the press continue with their research. Refuse, and we will take 'lovely' pictures of her and release those to the press instead. Meet the liaison in the first box at the 5th Avenue Theater."

Kaiba couldn't believe his eyes. They didn't want money or anything like that; they wanted the press attention! It made him so angry that both Roland and Denise thought the young CEO would punch through the nearby brick wall.

"What should we do? The message is a note on the phone, so we can't trace it to anyone." Denise noted, and Roland shook his head in thought. Even he had grown to like the gutsy teenager, and he found it a shame that she had gotten caught up in any Kaiba Corp. problems.

"The warning isn't just to attack me, but Marie. Probably some dog who found a bone. Too bad he's taken a bite of something more than he can chew." Seto concluded, and made his way out of Pike's Place.

"Where are we going sir?" Both Roland and Denise asked simultaneously. Kaiba looked back shortly.

"The 5th Avenue Theater."

* * *

><p>Marie was so disoriented. Being driven roughly in the back of (what she assumed to be) a moving truck seemed to do that. Her hands were duct taped behind her, her feet bound, her eyes blindfolded and her mouth gagged. She definitely felt like a victim of kidnapping.<p>

"And of course, Seto is right again. If I ever see him again he'll probably rub _that _in my face too." Marie thought, rolling her eyes, though the effect was lost because of the blindfold. And the dire situation at hand, of course. The truck slowed and turned, and then parked because the motor shut off. The loud slide-up truck door was opened and Marie was flung over a shoulder without any difficulty from the person.

"If you're going to treat me like a sack of potatoes, then let the sack of potatoes show you how much they appreciate it!" Marie screeched in her mind and brought up her bound legs slowly, as if in stretch. Then, after counting down to keep patience, she swung down hard, digging the tips of her shoes into the torso of whoever was carrying her.

"God Dammit, this bitch just kicked me!" He cried in pain, and Marie groaned a little as she was dropped to the ground. She was about to figure out how to make her escape when a soft and calm male voice spoke.

"No need for harsh words. I think it's time to use the drugs however. We can't let her make too much of a scene." He said, his voice sounding almost kind, but with a subtle hint of maliciousness.

"Oh shit, they're gonna fuck me up now." Marie swore in her mind, moving to put her face to the ground in an attempt to keep the drugs away. However, a rag was shoved onto her nose after her head was pulled up painfully by her hair. Marie fought to stay awake, but it was no use: she fell asleep in an instant.

Marie was flung onto the thug's shoulder once more, glad to have no resistance.

"Boy, the little shit was pretty sneaky. Right boss?" Thug said (that's his name: he's too despicable to have a real one). The slender man beside him smiled and snorted.

"Again, no need for harsh words. You would do the same in a situation like this. I don't know what she did to our employer to deserve such treatment, but it must be pretty serious. It also involves Seto Kaiba, apparently." The boss (who is cool and in my mind quite hot) explained smoothly, staring at the girl hanging over Thug's shoulder. Thug shrugged.

"As long as we get paid. I don't like this 'takin' pictures' business though. It seems a little too much. At least we don't have to deal with that, eh boss?" Thug admitted, hefting Marie up because she was sliding off of her shoulder. His boss crossed his arms and looked down to his feet.

"Indeed."

* * *

><p><strong>Marie is in a bit of trouble. And it seems that she is a little responsible for that. Well, we'll see how she and Kaiba deal with this little problem. <strong>

**Let's just hope that Kirk doesn't find out; otherwise, and Kaiba's going to get killed. Just sayin' **

**I hope you'll stay tuned for another exciting episode of Foreign Exchange Student. Reviews are welcome, and thank you to those who have reviewed already! I hope you keep reviewing and enjoying the story.**

**P.S.**

**... Freaky Fish Guy. **


	8. HELLo Seattle: 3

**Hey everyone! Another part of Seattle is up next, and we'll start to see some action! These mysterious villains are wonderfully chilling! **

**Anyways, I don't own any place in Seattle, because they are all real. I don't own YGO! either. Just Marie, her family, Denise, and the villains and this particular story line. **

**FUN FACT: Seattle is 'special' because it is built (due to the stubborn stupidity of the people who built it) basically on sawdust. This fact will be handy later in the story.**

**ENJOY the new chapter!**

* * *

><p>"Mr. Kaiba, shouldn't I phone her family?" Roland asked, about to reach for his phone.<p>

"No! I can handle this situation myself and they don't need to worry." Kaiba bellowed, running around the corner to run on 5th avenue.

In truth, Kaiba didn't want to have to deal with her father's wrath. It would be too troublesome.

The group came to the oriental themed entrance to the theater, and Denise and Roland couldn't help but gaze in awe at the dragon chandelier. Kaiba ran straight on, looking for a sign pointing him out to where the first box was.

"Sir, there is no show here, please leave!" An employee called out, rushing over to escort Seto out. Seto wasn't amused in the least and pinned the employee with a potent glare.

"Where is box 1?" He asked, Denise coming up behind the employee to add more force to Kaiba's question.

"D-down this hall and it's the first door on the right." The employee squeaked, and Denise patted their shoulder as the group went on.

The employee had not lied, and when Denise had caught up with Kaiba again, he was getting ready to rip open the door.

* * *

><p>"Hey, wake up! We didn't drug you <em>that <em>much." a rough male voice called into whatever echoing room they happened to be in. Marie was awake (not completely off of the effects of the drug yet) but chose to remain silent. The man gave out a frustrated growl and Marie listened while he muttered to himself and stomped over. He grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her head up. Marie moaned as if she was just waking up and opened her eyes slowly while wincing. Her vision wasn't very clear at the beginning, but it got better.

"Feel free to move around, Marie La May. Just don't try anything funny. Not that you could." The man laughed off, letting go of Marie's hair so she could nearly slam her face into the floor. A door slammed shut a few footsteps later and a lock sounded. Marie was alone now. She looked around in a daze.

"It's too white. But the amount of room makes me nervous. Don't they usually put hostages and stuff in tiny cramped places and keep them tied up? Totally confused on that one." Marie commented out loud, mostly to enjoy the echoes of her voice.

"Well, we would if you were really kidnapped. We're just following orders, and our employer says that you're more of a bargaining chip." Another voice called, making Marie jump as the boss from earlier stepped out from the shadows. Marie peered into his face.

"I could swear I've seen you before."

"I would doubt that. Marie La May, take this." He addressed, and handed her her duel disk. Marie noticed that her deck wasn't with it.

"Hey, I love that deck, so you'd better give that back too!" Marie commanded, standing up shakily and with a glare on her face. The boss didn't seem very impressed, for his expression didn't change and he crossed his arms.

"I don't know where your deck is. You might want to take the opportunity I'm giving you to get out of this room and find it." Boss explained, and Marie's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Such help in an unexpected place."

"It's not very unexpected when you realize what I'm doing here."

Marie beckoned for his ear. He leaned in slowly, to make sure she wasn't up to any funny business and to make sure no one was watching.

"You're a cop aren't you?" Marie asked, her whisper almost an untraceable sound. Boss nodded so that Marie could see, but it was so small that it was unnoticeable.

"You want to try and beat me?" The Cop (he is now 'Cop' instead of Boss) said suddenly, and Marie realized that he must be monitored, so she played along.

"I'll beat the crap out of you, asshole!" She screeched, and waited for Cop to make a move. He swung at her with a fist, which she bent down to dodge before ramming herself into him. They both fell to the ground from the tackle. Marie stabbed her fingers in a pressure point between his chin and throat. Cop fainted instantly, and it was no act either. Marie had learned that move in a special class made by police officers for girls.

Marie slowly stood and went over to where Cop had appeared, and found that it was a disguised door. It looked like wall, but one could see the crease. She pulled it aside and made her way out. It apparently was a fire exit, because she was five stories up and on an old iron staircase lacing the building. Marie gulped and calmed herself by holding her breath. These old fire escapes weren't known for always being stable.

Down she went until she came upon the next door, which opened easily. Marie wedged it open enough so she could find any thugs who might bring trouble.

"I feel like I'm in a video game right now." Marie mumbled, finding the coast clear and edging herself along the wall. She kept a close eye on her surroundings. She heard shouting from the floor above, and figured that she had been found out already.

"But I need my dueling deck more than anything else right now!" Marie thought determined, and made herself as quiet as possible while she slipped into a tiny broom closet to plan.

* * *

><p>Kaiba, Denise and Roland searched the box for any clue at all, because the note had lied about a liaison being there. Kaiba was frustrated, and was about to go search elsewhere and just call in a whole flippin' army to scour the city when Roland called to him.<p>

"Sir, there's a note here!" Was the cry, and Seto rushed over and snatched it from Roland's waiting hands.

It was a giant face with its tongue sticking out mockingly. If Kaiba hadn't noticed the weird shape of the drawn tongue, he would have burned the paper after ripping it to shreds.

"What angle was the picture facing when you found it?" Kaiba inquired, and luckily Roland remembered the exact position. Kaiba followed the arrow-like tongue out of the box and found a fire escape. He opened the door and looked out at a back alley. There was an envelope there addressed to Kaiba. He opened it without hesitation and found a real note inside.

"Go backwards on the roads of JUSTICE and turn to the second road of FREEDOM." Was the clue, and Seto thought about it. He knew it had to be a riddle, because it absolutely made no sense without that kind of context. While he was thinking, Roland and Denise had a look at the strange note.

"Maybe it has to do with the directions to her location." Denise muttered.

"Of course it does!" Kaiba snapped, but glanced at Roland quickly before turning to the alley once more to analyze. Roland got the picture and took out his touch screen phone to bring up a map of the city.

Kaiba stared at the map but nothing was coming to mind as to what the riddle meant. But he caught a glance of 'A' street on the outskirts of town, and remembered a comment from Marie earlier that day.

**"Alphabetical order, dimwit." **resounded within him, and Seto raced down the fire escape and once he was close enough to jump to the ground, he did so and sprinted off, looking at the street signs as he went. Roland and Denise hurried to catch up, as their employer had taken them by surprise.

"Marie, you're your own saving grace." Kaiba thought, and looked to see that he was on the right street, brought out his own phone and downloaded a map so he could reference it.

* * *

><p>Marie had run into trouble. A couple of thugs with what looked like guns were standing in front of her fire escape. She assumed they were both looking for her, seeing as they weren't just standing around like construction workers. Marie couldn't figure out what to do from behind her corner of door until a small alarm sounded that probably came from the walky-talky they had.<p>

"Have you two found her yet?" The aggravated voice of Cop came over the radio. Marie wondered for a second if the two thugs were policemen as well, but the way they were acting and sounding she didn't think so.

"No, I don't think she's on this floor. Little bitch probably just took off right away." Thug One growled, and Marie narrowed her eyes as she recognized the Thug as the one who had carried her.

"No, asshole, I'm right here!" Marie yelled, her anger overtaking her better judgement. The two thugs turned and sneered when they saw her. Thug One brought the walky-talky to his lips.

"Found 'er." He informed, and they both started to advance.

"Where's my deck?" Marie asked, standing her ground now that she had gotten herself into this mess. Thug Two grinned and looked to Thug One, who nodded with his ow grin. Thug Two reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick stack of duel monsters cards.

"Come and get'm, missy." He challenged. Both thugs started to chuckle as they surrounded her, popping their knuckles. Marie stood ready, but with her heart racing and temples pounding.

"Watch out for this one. She's a bit fiery compared to all the rest of the girls we've ever caught."

"Got it."

Marie's eyes widened at the slight passing of words.

"I'm not the first! This is unacceptable, I have to beat them somehow!" Marie realized, and her confidence rose once more with her rage. She hated men like the ones standing around her.

"Bring it on, shitface." Marie growled, and Thug One lunged, fist at the ready. Marie was glad they hadn't pulled their weapons. She couldn't fight guns. No way at all. But they seemed confident in their ability to beat her with their fists. Marie ducked and Thug One was tripped as she grabbed his ankle, and he was flung into Thug Two. Marie recalculated the situation as her mind's judgement finally came back and she realized that she definitely couldn't win. And so, while the thugs were disoriented, she went for her fire escape and raced down the iron stairs. The thugs were after her soon enough however, but were slower and less agile than she. Marie was already two flights down by the time they had gotten through the original door.

"Almost home free to the streets! Then I can find some help because people around here are so blasted friendly." Marie cheered in her mind, but her joy was ended by a sudden blow to the head. As her world spun and her vision was edged with black, she turned to see a third thug, who was joined by the other two after a few moments. All three grinned at their job well done. Before she blacked out, she reached for her beloved dueling deck that Thug Two was waving around. Just when she was about to touch it, Thug Two let them scatter to the wind. Marie went into unconsciousness as she saw that they had tricked her, as the deck was a counterfeit with just blank faces.

When Marie woke up, there was drapery, or what _felt _like drapery, all around her. The curtains were all black, and they were on the floor, walls, and everywhere that one wouldn't usually see drapery, and it was a dimly lit room and she was in a chair. Tied to a chair and gagged with duct tape. Marie couldn't think of a lower point in her life. Her head ached even more from being dealt that blow, but she forced herself to be alert as much as she didn't want to be. Marie looked around, and found a camera. Not a video camera, a professional photography camera. And the strange lights that had umbrellas on them were there too!

"What, is this supposed to be a nightmare of picture day or something? Cuz it's not really that scary." Marie criticized, not very enthused by the change in atmosphere. She sat there, wondering how long she had been sitting there in the room and how much longer she would be there. All in all, she was panicked and bored at the same time. It seems like a strange combination, as she was being held hostage and she should be getting an adrenaline rush or something, but she sat actually quite bored. Everything in the room was uninteresting, as it was all covered in drapery if it wasn't the camera or umbrella thingies. Marie was going to try hopping in her chair for some form of entertainment when a door creaked open and bright light spilled into the room. Marie instantly sat still and looked straight ahead at the person coming in.

"So how do we get her to do this? From what your thugs said, she won't mind getting shot." A thin, annoying and tinny voice demanded, and the figure behind the man (who was strangely in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts in autumn) chuckled. Marie peered to try and see the mysterious man, for it wasn't Cop. All she could get was his shadow. All she knew was that the man was large, in both stature and weight.

"Feed her something and get her horny. That's all there is to it." The figure laughed, and it resembled a chorus of ugly sewer rats in Marie's ears. The door closed and the ugly old man in vacation attire sighed in frustration.

"I'm a dirty old man, but this still isn't my type of thing. I should probably get my young assistant to do it. He'd be more than willing." The photographer conversed, knowing Marie couldn't reply. Marie glared his way, but the man didn't care as he turned away with his cell phone out. Marie was truly scared. What exactly they wanted to take pictures of suddenly made sense, and Marie could think of nothing more mortifying. And so she started praying, despite not being very religious. She prayed that someone would save her, and she knew that her best hope would be her foreign exchange student, Seto Kaiba.

"Hey, I've got a mean and pretty one here for ya. She's going to need your help." The man yelled over the phone, and gave a satisfied grunt as he hung up the phone. The photographer walked up to her and grabbed Marie's chin to leer in her eyes.

"I wish we could've met before this little fiasco, but an old dueling rival isn't quite happy with you, and neither is his well-paying father." He stated, and Marie furrowed her eyebrows in thought. As if it was totally his business and completely natural, the man pulled and stretched Marie's shirt collar back and looked down. His mouth went into a grin.

"Very nice, for such a little brat." He sounded, and Marie wanted to kick him so much that she believed she could rip from the chair to do so. The door slammed open however and drew her attention.

"Hey, I heard you needed my help. I'm always willing to help you get some good shots." A young man sounded, and if he wasn't so obviously sleazy, he might have been called an upstanding and handsome man. Marie was surprised to see that someone that looked so accredited was going to...

"I guess looks aren't everything." Marie thought in her mind, and she started to quiver. She was scared, and a tear escaped her eye.

"DAMMIT KAIBA, HURRY UP!" She cried in her mind as the lecherous man began to cut off her shirt.

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><p><strong>No worries, dear children! This story is and forever will be rated T, and not M. It's just a wonder of 'Does that mean she'll include that scene, or is Kaiba going to make it in time?' Heh, I guess it's just gonna have to be figured out!<strong>

**Speaking of figured out, does anyone know the meaning of the little riddle? Review what you think and I can tell you the answer! **

**Thanks for reading and I hope you review! **


	9. Good Bye Seattle, Kind Of

**To everyone reading, you're awesome. To everyone not reading... How are you seeing this? Anyways, this chapter is the conclusion to Seattle, a precursor to JUSTICE! XD! **

**I don't own anything YGO! or any official places and stuff in Seattle. I also don't own the S.P.D. and FBI. **

**FUN FACT!: Georgia's name was gathered from a song called "Georgia On My Mind." Kirk met Georgia in a cafe that was playing this song in the background.**

**Enjoy! **

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><p>Kaiba knew he was close to finding Marie, and whoever was instigating the mayhem. He looked down at his map and then at a street sign. Seto Kaiba had found the second road of FREEDOM, 18th avenue. Now all he had to do was figure out which building was the one he was looking for.<p>

"Mr. Kaiba, shall we split up?" Roland asked, neither he nor Denise trying to catch their breath for sake of professionalism. Kaiba was about to agree with the plan, but all three saw a thug look out and around. He didn't seem to see the trio, but the trio raced towards the building.

While Denise was running behind Roland and Kaiba, she thought she heard sirens. Lots of sirens, and all heading towards their area. Denise reached out and tapped Roland on the shoulder, and both stopped and listened. It was definitely coming closer. Soon, lights came over the hill, and they stopped and flooded the area.

"Mr. Kaiba, wait!" Denise called, but Seto kept going, bulldozing his way through the front door. Denise and Roland were approached by three officers; two Federal and one state.

"What are you two doing here?" They asked suspiciously, the state officer taking out a notepad.

"We were on our way to help Marie La May, as she is the foreign exchange host of my employer, Seto Kaiba." Roland answered, Denise nodded. Both took out their identification, which was validated by all three officers.

"Denise Thomas... I haven't seen you in awhile." The state officer commented while the group looked to see what was happening. There were tons of guns out on hoods and Federal agents stormed the building.

"I hope they don't think Mr. Kaiba is the bad guy." Denise thought, watching as two thugs were following orders of laying on the ground and getting cuffed, all the while having guns pointed at them.

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><p>Marie was so scared at that moment that she decided that she would fight back as much as possible. She kept her mouth shut and waited for her oppressor to leave himself open when she headbutted him. The man got up with a shout, because she had hit his nose. Blood streamed out of it as it looked slightly crooked. Marie was too dizzy and hurt to realize the satisfactory damage she had done. The man somewhat recovered, but only to shout about killing her and pulling out a gun. Marie closed her eyes as the trigger was about to be pulled when the door slammed open, leading a fury of agents and police officers into the room. The photographer put up no fight at all, but the enraged man had to have his gun knocked from his hand and kicked to the ground. Marie watched all of this, and looked for someone to pay attention to her. She looked ahead and started to cry.<p>

It was Kaiba, his usual cold scowl on his face. He wasn't looking at her, but glaring ferociously at the two offenders. But when he realized Marie was sitting their, he strode over and began to release her. Once she was free, she flung her arms around Seto and began to bawl.

Seto, despite everyone thinking he was too emotionless to know what to do, actually did know what to do.

"I'm here, and nothing's going to happen to you anymore. I promise." He soothed softly, putting a supporting arm around her back and pet her hair. Mokuba had often had some trauma after being kidnapped those few times, and so he knew somewhat of the attitude he had to take.

"I-I-I was ss-so ss-scared! I tried to be confident and brave but I couldn't do _anything_!" Marie sobbed, putting her face even more into the crook of Kaiba's neck. Kaiba couldn't help but smile.

"That's good to know." He murmured, and a federal agent came up with a blanket for Marie. Seto wrapped it around her carefully and nodded towards the officers and agents who stood by watching.

"Marie, we have to get up now." Kaiba said, pushing her gently away and letting her grab onto his arm as they both stood. Marie was shaking, and Kaiba knew that she would have to go to a doctor.

"Mr. Kaiba! Is Miss La May all right?" Roland asked, running up to the duo shielded by agents. Marie still had tears pouring down her face, but she sniffed and managed a smile and nod. Roland nodded in return, and began talking with one of the agents. Denise came to meet Marie and immediately bowed.

"This is all my fault because I decided to take the 420 bridge. I would be glad to make it up to you." Denise apologized, but Marie shook her head slowly.

"No, Seto warned me and I was an idiot when didn't listen. The only one I can find that I can blame is myself." I she stated, whimpering slightly. Kaiba shushed her. It amazed him that strong-willed Marie was so very nearly crushed in spirit.

"They will pay very dearly for what they did." He thought, a violent storm of anger rushing through his mind.

"We'd better get you to Harborview." The paramedic that had inspected Marie said, referring to one of the biggest and best medical facilities in Washington. Marie was told to lay down on a gurney because she couldn't stand on her own and because she had head trauma. Kaiba got in to sit beside her, and an FBI agent went in as well. Kaiba shot an inquiring look.

"She'll be under the bureau's watch for awhile. She'll be a key witness in this case." the agent informed, and both Kaiba and Marie nodded.

"I can't believe this happened to you." Kaiba muttered, not thinking that whoever hired those goons would want to take something so far. Marie smiled weakly from her position.

"I'll be alright. I'm not fully scarred for life thanks to you and Cop." Marie murmured, her voice not able to get very loud. Kaiba gave her a look of confusion.

"Cop?"

"The undercover police officer we had in this case." the agent answered, Marie agreeing with a nod. Kaiba sat back against the ambulance wall and crossed his arms. The engine started, and a paramedic peeked back from the front with a grin.

"Miss La May, would you like sirens?" He asked, and Marie smiled wider than before and nodded.

"Great! You know, I hope you start getting out there and dueling again. My son and I are two of your biggest fans!" He chirped, and turned around once more.

"You're long overdue for a comeback and your skills are still sharp. You should duel." Kaiba stated with a smirk, but when he looked to see Marie's face, she was crying.

"My deck and duel disk. I never got them back." She whimpered, the loss of her precious deck weighing heavy on her heart. It was the agent's turn to give happiness.

"I recovered your deck, but unfortunately they broke your duel disk." the agent pulled out the Duel Monsters cards and gently handed them over to the waiting hands of Marie.

"My beloved wonderful..." She squeaked, pressing the deck to her face. Kaiba rolled his eyes at the action.

"They're just cards." Marie gave him a sour glance at that.

"I nearly got killed and stuff because I was looking for them. You would do the same for your deck if it was stolen, Mr. Blue Eyes." Marie remarked, and went back to loving her cards. Kaiba rolled his eyes, but was glad none-the-less that Marie still had her sharp wit.

It didn't take long for the ambulance to get to the hospital, and Marie was rolled out and treated immediately. Agents and police officers had already arrived to guard her room and so on and so forth. Roland stood in the waiting area while Seto sat and thought about all of the complications that had arisen. Surely by now, Marie's family had been alerted to the situation. And that would just be trouble altogether. Denise was sitting across the room, fiddling with her long blonde braid.

Soon enough, the leading E.R. doctor came out with a tired but pleased smile.

"She'll need to stay overnight so we can make sure the drugs are out of her system, and the blow to the head needs to be examined further, but it seems there is no concussion evident. You may see her now if you wish." He informed, and walked off to take care of another patient that had just rolled in. Kaiba stood up and slowly strolled over. Roland kept calm as well, but Denise rushed in without a second thought.

When Kaiba got to the door of the room, Denise and Marie were holding light conversation. There were bandages wrapped around Marie's head, but she looked good for the most part. Her dueling deck sat on the bedside table, within reach of Marie's grasp.

"Hey, what's up? Are my parents coming?" Marie asked, and Kaiba shrugged. He went over to the corner, leaned back and crossed his arms. Marie stared at him for a few moments, but dismissed his stand-offish mood. An agent came in to answer her question instead.

"Your mother is on her way, Miss La May. Your father wishes you to know that he's glad that you're safe, and that he's going to stay at home with Callia." He reported, and Marie smiled widely.

"Thank you," She told him, but before the agent turned to leave, she started again.

"Um... Is that Cop who was undercover okay?" Marie inquired, her thumbs rubbing her blanket nervously. The agent couldn't find words because he didn't know himself. To make the room fuller, a police officer came in bearing flowers.

"I'm fine thank you. You're quite the trickster, knocking me out back there." He replied, he himself have some cuts and bruises, his arm in a sling. Marie looked concerned at his injury as she gratefully took the flowers.

"What happened? Did they find out?"

"Yeah, but it thankfully didn't take long for the fleet that was my backup squad to show up." Cop laughed, and Marie let out a breathless giggle. Kaiba just stood and watched from his corner, but he wasn't too happy at the interaction.

"What's your name?" Seto called, startling both the cop and Marie. Cop turned with a surprised look, but smiled slightly.

"I'm Barry Demond of the S.P.D. You must be Seto Kaiba."

Kaiba nodded slightly.

"Good to meet you. My little sister loves Blue Eyes. Anyways, I've got a report to file so I'll be seeing you around!" Barry departed, shooting a smile at Marie and Denise before retreating from the tense atmosphere of the room. However, the Blue Eyes comment had sparked an old thought Kaiba had had. It seemed like a good time to ask about it, so he did.

"Denise, Roland, wait outside please." He ordered, his polite word not sounding polite at all. Marie had a confused expression, but didn't say a word. Once the two were alone, Kaiba sat next to Marie at the edge of her bed.

"Is Blue Eyes White Dragon your favorite monster?" Kaiba outright asked, looking extremely serious, almost as if he was sealing a business deal. Marie blinked a few times before going into a fit of giggles. Kaiba didn't understand what was so funny about the situation and growled in frustration. He was secretly happy that her laugh was genuine, and also liked the sound ringing in his ears.

"So much has happened, and we have to be alone, and all you have to ask is if I really like Blue Eyes? You're so demented!" Marie gasped, pushing herself back into her pillows.

"Well is it or not?" He snapped, and Marie calmed down. She put her hand lightly on his arm and looked him straight in the eyes with a plain and grateful smile. He stared back into the pretty abyss that were her brown eyes. The two actually didn't notice that they were getting closer and closer to each other, trying to peer into each other's eyes to find some hidden meaning.

"I love Blue Eyes." She answered, and just as they were about to meet foreheads, a disturbance came, causing the two to abruptly back away from each other. Only then did they realize how close they had been.

"I nearly made a huge mistake." Both though in unison, and the disturbance scrambled in and wrapped her arms around her daughter.

"Marie, my baby, are you okay?" Georgia asked, weeping already before Marie could try to reassure her. Kaiba received a nod from Marie, and he left to give them privacy. Once he was gone, Marie was confronted by her mother.

"Seto didn't have anything to do with this catastrophe, did he?" She asked, about to go into a flurry of motherly rage.

"No, he..." Marie started, dragging her mother back to her with a death grip on her arm. Georgia glanced back with a softening expression. Marie's eyes were filled with tears as she half-smiled.

"He saved me. He really saved me." Marie muttered, before she started sobbing again into her mother's arms. The events of the day had once again caught up with Marie, and the stress was too much. Georgia held her tight, not caring that the doors had opened and an agent dressed in a suit had walked in. He only stood watching, analyzing the scene before him. He finally went over and crouched down to the level of the bed.

"Hey. It'll be okay, I promise." He muttered, and Georgia gave him a questioning look. He mouthed "psychiatrist" and showed a badge that proclaimed him an agent of the FBI as well. Marie withdrew from her mother's embrace, wiping her eyes, cheeks and nose to see the man. He smiled pleasantly.

"I'll be okay, because he saved me." Marie told him, returning the smile. The agent's smile only grew.

"That's excellent! So, you basically prayed he would come, and he did right?" The man asked, playing his role cleverly. Georgia was stunned at his expertise.

"Exactly! He came for me, and he was actually worried! I didn't think he cared about anyone, but he came for me!" Marie exclaimed, her attitude changing from rain to sun in an instant. Marie carefully got up, and swung her legs around the bed. Her mother went to stop her, but the agent held her back. Marie wobbled for the first few steps, but got her footing and began to sprint out the door. She raced out and saw him immediately. Kaiba looked up in surprise and before he could react, was tackled against the wall by Marie.

"Thank you so much! You came back for me!" She yelped into his shirt, a tight grip around his torso making him tense up. The psychiatrist came out to lean on the door frame of Marie's room, while Georgia stood slightly inside watching. Kaiba relaxed again and put a hand on her head while putting another around her.

"Of course, you fool."

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><p><strong>Marie was saved, thanks to Barry (who shall forever be Cop in my mind) and most of all, Kaiba. <strong>

**Marie might seem a little mental at this last part, but if you think about it, she has a pretty substantial reason. **

**NOW... I haven't really gotten any reviews for this story, so I have NO IDEA what you readers think. I ALSO don't really have much inspiration because I haven't gotten reviews lately. What is wrong with this picture? **

**The only person exempt from my wrath is Miko Hayashi. Please please PLEASE review. I really want to get my fire for writing back and get excited about it again! **


	10. Mistake Number Two

**Thanks for reviewing guys, I finally know what some of you think! And so, I have written this! The reason it took so long was because I had to consider many things... Anyways, the chapter is sure to make a lot of you smile by the end.**

**I don't own anything YGO! and I don't own The Lion King either. Or Hamlet. **

**FUN FACT!: Starbucks Headquarters in Seattle has a Starbucks store right across the street from it. :p**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Kaiba knew that Marie was still under stress and that the upcoming trial was not got to be easy for her. They were finally home, and after Seto had gotten his ear chewed off by Kirk, they tried to go about some semblance of their normal lives. The FBI had excused Marie for the time being, but Kaiba went to school and told her about it.<p>

All Marie did all day was sit around in her pajamas either eating, sleeping, studying or just staring at the wall. There wasn't much life, though when Callia went over to hug her big sister, Marie held her close and sometimes cried.

Kaiba knew also that if she didn't cheer up soon, he'd go insane. He wanted something of a rival again in his exchange home. Her snappy comebacks were sorely lacking, and Kaiba was tired of it.

"When I'm ever in a mood like this, who gets me out of it?" Seto thought to himself, and the light bulb of his mind was set off.

"That's it!" He exclaimed quietly, and went to his room from his position on the sofa. He got his computer started and sent a message to the one person he knew could help.

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><p>Marie had been stuck at home all week, with agents (both visible and not) hanging around her neighborhood. She was definitely being kept safe because she was a key witness.<p>

Marie didn't feel all that special. She felt like all she was doing was imposing on everyone. After everything, she couldn't find herself worth anything. Her family tried to comfort her, but nothing seemed to help.

Marie's friends even got the chance to visit for a little while, but even they couldn't cheer her up. She had tons of flowers, cards, get well and good luck notes from everyone at school, among the various stuffed animals and even a Youtube video from the band and a giant card from the trumpet section she led. But nothing seemed to work.

Seto had been watching over her, but he didn't bother to try the impossible in getting her back to normal.

Marie began to think about what a failure she was, from running away from her fame at Duel Monsters to not being able to protect herself. And that, my friends, is when the doorbell rang. Marie's parents were at work, and Callia was told never to answer the door without her siblings or parents. And for some reason, the agents weren't answering.

"And of course Seto won't get the door." Marie thought moodily, getting up from the sofa and walking up the stairs to the front door. She opened and saw a twelve year old standing there. He had a wide, happy grin on his face and said "Hi!" cheerily. Marie looked him over in confusion.

He had long black hair that was basically a mop, and light colored eyes.

"You're Marie La May, right?" He asked, and Marie nodded, still ocnfused as to who the kid was.

"And you are?"

"I'm Seto's little brother, Mokuba!" He exclaimed proudly, and Marie's eyes widened, and a fire came to her eyes.

"Oh. Mokuba, could you just stay here for a second? Thanks." Marie told him, and shut the door promptly. Marie marched up to Kaiba's room and knocked politely.

"What is it?" Kaiba drawled bored, and Marie opened the door with a deep frown.

"What the hell is your little brother doing here, Seto?" Kaiba looked up from reading and smirked.

"Oh, he's here already? Where is he?" Kaiba asked, avoiding Marie's question on purpose. She stomped her foot.

"Dammit Kaiba, what is he doing here? I can't leave him at the front door, but you know as well as I do that my family doesn't have enough room as it is! And we just got word from Renaud that he's coming home soon! Where will he sleep?" Marie screeched, and Seto lazily plugged one ear with his hand.

"We can all fit in this room I'm sure. My brother and I have had to endure much worse conditions. Now let him in to see me, he's missed me." Kaiba told her arrogantly, and got up while putting his bookmark in his book. He wrapped an arm around Marie's shoulders and dragged her along to the front door.

"Mokuba!" Kaiba exclaimed once he opened the door fully. Mokuba looked up from sitting on the stairs leading to the door with the happiest smile Marie had ever seen.

"BIG BROTHER!" He yelled, and tackled his brother with such gusto that Marie was amazed Kaiba wasn't knocked against the wall.

"I missed you Seto." Mokuba said, his voice muffled because his face was stuffed into Kaiba's shirt. Marie was shocked at the sight she saw.

Seto was smiling. Gently smiling with no hint of his arrogant or mean personality marring his eyes. Marie couldn't help but blush at the sight. Roland brought in a couple of bags, and Marie just got out of the way so he could take them to Seto's room.

Mokuba turned to face Marie after a little bit.

"Big brother said you got into a heap of trouble. C'mon, I want to watch a movie!" Mokuba stated, and dragged Marie downstairs into the family room.

"This place is so small, but Seto warned me it would be. Anyways, stay here while I go get the movie I wanna watch!" Mokuba instructed, running up the stairs a split second afterwards. Marie sat blinking on the couch, looking slightly disturbed.

"How can he be so energetic with that long flight? He should be tired as hell!" Marie exclaimed, and Seto took that moment to appear.

"He's made that flight so many times it doesn't affect him anymore." Kaiba answered, and Marie caught the hint of pride in his voice.

"You guys are pretty close." Marie said, looking down at her feet. She didn't think she, Callia and Renaud were very close at all. Marie couldn't see, but Seto frowned slightly and walked over. He sat next to her and crossed his legs. There may have been silence, but Marie was smiling the tiniest hidden smile. Just having him near mad her feel better.

"Okay, I've got it! Hey Seto, could you put this in for me? I'm not tall enough!" Mokuba inquired, and Seto got himself up and made sure the DVD case was hidden from Marie, who was straining to see. Soon enough, Seto was sitting back down next to Marie and Mokuba was darting around with the remotes, making the volume louder on the stereo and skipping the advertisements for upcoming movies. Mokuba started the movie, and Marie was confused.

"The Lion King? Why does he want to watch this so badly?" Marie thought, and pondered the movie choice.

"Sure, it's a good movie, but I thought someone like this would enjoy more of the action/adventure stuff. But whatever." Marie concluded, and Mokuba jumped into the space between she and Kaiba. It was just big enough for him, and Marie settled and got comfortable. Marie looked at Kaiba over Mokuba.

"You're going to watch with us?" Marie asked surprised, and Kaiba smirked.

"I got a request to stay, and it wasn't from Mokuba." He answered, making Marie pout. She hated cryptic answers like that. The movie started, and all three watched attentively.

Eventually, Callia heard the introduction from upstairs in her room and raced down to see who was watching.

"Sissy, why didn't you come get me?" Callia asked, hurt evident in her voice. Marie smiled and opened her arms. Callia clamored on top of her lap and began watching with them. Marie and Seto kept watching, but listened as Callia asked about Mokuba and who he was, while Kaiba's little brother replied. The two older looked between each other amused, but kept watching in silence. Soon, Roland came down to check on them.

"Go ahead and sit down. We've got federal agents swarming all over the place, no one is in immediate danger." Marie invited, and out of her line of sight, Seto nodded. Roland only hesitated slightly, and sat down in one of the recliners.

Five minutes later, Denise came in. She got the same invitation, which Denise gladly accepted. They all sat and watched The Lion King, and Marie sat thinking about Hamlet, among other things like the upcoming trial she didn't know if she could handle, and moving on from this disastrous point in her life.

During the movie, Roland had fallen asleep, and eventually Denise followed him. Callia crawled out of Marie's lap and sat in her own chair, only to fall asleep. Jet lag finally caught up with Mokuba, who had fallen asleep and had put his head on her lap. And last was Seto, who had fallen asleep and leaned over Mokuba and onto her shoulder. Marie couldn't help but feel strangely comfortable. She yawned, and on instinct put her head gently atop Kaiba's and fell asleep herself.

Georgia and Kirk liked to meet up after work to talk about their jobs and different miscellaneous things that needed to get done. However, since Marie had been kidnapped, they went straight home, still carpooling as they usually did. When they got home, everything checked out alright with the agents, and Kirk and Georgia relaxed.

"I wonder why it's so quiet in the house today. Usually Marie has something going to keep her thoughts occupied." Georgia wondered, and Kirk shrugged.

"Why don't we go find out?" Kirk suggested, and the two went down to the family room first. What they saw made them gasp in surprise. All of them, even Denise and Roland, were asleep and the menu for The Lion King was on the screen. With all the powers of grace handed to her by motherhood, Georgia shut everything off and motioned for Kirk to go back up the stairs. He went, and before Georgia followed, she stole a glance at her daughter and the foreign exchange student. Smiling, Georgia went up and met Kirk at the top of the stairs. Both of them stared at the birds.

"I wonder when those two got so close." Kirk said, and Georgia gave a knowing smile.

"He saved her Kirk. I think those two will be tied together by a special bond from now on. I told you what happened at the hospital." Georgia stated, and Kirk nodded. Even though he hated to admit it, Kirk knew his little girl was comforted just at the thought of having Kaiba around.

"Couldn't she have been saved by a nicer guy though?" Kirk asked, and both parents laughed quietly, so as not to wake up the group downstairs.

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><p>Roland and Denise were gone by the time Marie woke up. Mokuba, Callia and Seto were still asleep however. It didn't take long for Mokuba to stir however, and he got himself out from between Marie and Seto. Marie pretended to be asleep because she felt like being a little sneaky. Mokuba was quiet. It made Marie a little nervous.<p>

But then! Seto started to wake up, and so Marie acted like she was too. Both lifted their heads and stared groggily at each other. But both genuinely widened their eyes and scooted away from each other, still staring. Mokuba started laughing, because apparently he was just standing there watching us.

"I can't believe I fell asleep! And in such a stupid position!" Seto thought, pink tinging his ears.

"Oh god, I forgot! How could I have been so stupid?" Marie asked herself, her face just plain red.

"You guys are totally meant for each other, haha!" Mokuba stated, and Seto barked at him to shut up, which made Mokuba laugh harder.

"We are not." Both mumbled at the same time, but heard each other and looked at each other again with embarrassment. Callia had woken up by then and joined Mokuba in his hilarity.

"Marie and Seto, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G-" Callia started, Mokuba joining her instantly. But both of the siblings covered their mouths, Marie scooping up Callia and racing upstairs flushing madly. Kaiba stayed downstairs with a dying-of-laughter Mokuba.

Marie took Callia to their shared room and sat her down on her bed. Callia looked innocently up at her big sister.

"Don't give me that look, missy. Look, Seto and I are just friends. You got that? We're not going to be seen EVER sitting in a tree and kissing."

"But it would be nice." Callia inserted slyly. The little girl had picked up much from her older siblings and mother.

"Yeah... I mean NO! Stop it, you little twerp!" Marie squealed, and proceeded to tickle her little sister into submission.

Kaiba meanwhile had to deal with a preteen brother who knew about hormones already.

"Mokuba, will you shut up and listen? We're not romantically involved-"

"Yet."

"Stop! We won't ever!"

"Sure, whatever big bro. If that's so, why did you let yourself fall asleep, and on her shoulder too. You have more self control than anyone else on the planet, Seto. Tell me why." Molkuba challenged, and smirked as his brother thought about the question.

"I was tired and I trust her."

"That's not it..." Mokuba teased, giving him a mocking tone. Kaiba decided that the best way to get out of the situation was to change the subject drastically.

"I don't know, but weren't you going to tell her why she should face her problems and then put the past behind her?" Seto pointed out, and Mokuba bought it. Seto rolled his eyes as his brother raced upstairs to tell Marie the reason for watching The Lion King. Seto rubbed the back of his neck and came to ponder the same thing Mokuba had asked him.

"How did that happen?" He mumbled, and followed his brother upstairs.

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><p>Night had fallen, and Callia was already asleep and so was Mokuba. Marie and Seto were sitting downstairs with her parents, who had already had their fun teasing the two about earlier that day. Kaiba still sat next to Marie, almost like a guard dog in her parents' eyes. It was just after the weather on the ten o'clock news that both parents stood stretching.<p>

"We're going to bed. Marie, I'm happy to see that you're back to normal. Come give mom a hug." Georgia ordered, and Marie stood with a groan and walked over. She was enveloped in a hug from both parents, and after that both went upstairs. Marie turned to Kaiba who still sat watching the news. Marie sat next to him again and watched as the news story about Marie and Seto came on. Marie had refused an interview with this news station, and all the others who came like crows to a carcass.

"The trial is set to begin tomorrow..." The anchor said, and Marie realized that Mokuba was right. She had to get those men in jail.

"Seto," Kaiba turned to face her with a bored expression. Marie smirked with ferocity in her eyes.

"Lets kick ass tomorrow." She said, and Kaiba smirked as well.

"We will." He replied, turning the television off. Both stood to go up to bed.

"Um... Thanks Seto. I know you brought Mokuba here because you wanted to make me feel better. And I'm sorry about earlier." Marie apologized, putting her hands clasped in front of her. Kaiba turned the family room light off so the stairway light was the only dim light to see by. He walked over and put his arms on her shoulders and leaned down. He looked her in the eye, and despite the dim light they could see each other perfectly.

"That was just a mistake." He whispered, and kissed her. Marie froze. It was her very first kiss, and so very suddenly. He pulled away and put his mouth next to her ear.

"And that was mistake number two."

* * *

><p><strong>Whoa Kaiba! Holy crap! Hooray! So, JUSTICE! will be next, and we'll see how Marie fares facing her oppressors in court. It's a scary thing. Not that I would know personally. <strong>

**Like always, please review. I thought about this chapter for awhile. And don't think it's going to be all lovely from now on!**

**By the way, I won't be updating for a little while because I'm going to Band Leadership camp for a couple of days, and then I'm going to a week of band camp a few days after that. I promise I'll update as soon as possible after that!**


	11. JUSTICE! and School

**Holy Moly it's been a long time since I've updated this story, which I give sincere apologies for. I had band camp, and I got busy... And, admittedly, my other YGO! story got pretty popular, so I focused on it a lot. **

**This chapter is dedicated to my friend Miko Hayashi, because she gave me an idea.**

**I don't own YGO! or anything that's obviously not mine. **

**For all of you wonderful reviewers, I thank you very much for doing so. As for those who just read... You guys are awesome too, because that means you're enjoying yourselves. **

**FUN FACT!: It is summer here in the Pacific Northwest, and today (8/20/2011) was the hottest day yet of the year. It got up to 85 degrees Fahrenheit at Sea-Tac International airport, where the official recordings are made. Compared with the rest of the country this year, we've been pretty cold.**

**I hope all of you enjoy JUSTICE!**

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><p>Marie didn't know what was troubling her more; the fact that Kaiba had kissed her the night before, or the trial they were currently heading to. Marie decided that focusing on the trial was more important, and the different lawyers and prosecutors on her side were confident and knew she would pull through, so she had to feel the same way. She was briefed on how the trial would work, and she had been cleared by a psychologist before being able to say she was ready to be a witness.<p>

Marie sat in the back seat of an armored car being driven by an agent. She didn't have anyone to comfort her, as Seto and Mokuba were riding in a separate car, as were her friends and family.

"At least they'll be there watching. I hope we get those bastards sent to jail or worse." Marie prayed, fiddling with the hem of her blouse. Her mind wandered again, and of course it wandered to the one thing she kept telling herself to think about later.

"Why the heck did he say it was a mistake? I mean, it was because it didn't mean anything, but really? Am I just not good enough for a kiss that **isn't **a mistake? It's not like I'm a whore or anything! God, no matter how much I owe him, he's still a flippin' asshole!" Marie thought, and her mind led her to thinking that Kaiba was just trying to make her dance in the palm of his hand, like he does with everything else in his life.

"For goodness' sake, girl, it wasn't that good of a kiss anyway!" Marie told herself, slapping her knees with a huff.

She had to be serious once more however when the car pulled up to the courthouse. There were reporters and all sorts of people crowding around, and police officers held them back with little resistance. Marie got nervous because of all the cameras and people, but after taking a quick peek out the window at the regular people there, she saw signs that had supportive sayings. Marie almost smiled, and felt better knowing that at least someone she didn't even know was on her side.

"Alright Marie, just stay in between us and everything will be okay. You don't want to answer any questions, right?" The prosecutor asked kindly, holding out her hand to help Marie up. Marie nodded, and off they went through the crowd.

"This is it!" Marie thought, gripping her left sleeve while her hands were crossed.

* * *

><p>The trial was an extremely difficult one, despite the fact that the odds weren't in the kidnappers' favor. They were stubborn and pleading not guilty, and since Marie was a key witness, she could only wait outside before being escorted to the stand. Marie could hardly stand it. She wasn't allowed to talk to anyone except if it was officially from the prosecutor or someone like that. It wasn't entirely unpleasant; she was given water and some sweets, supposedly from her family and friends who were watching the trial in the court room, all there to support her. Marie didn't doubt it, either.<p>

"I wonder what going back to school will be like?" Marie inquired to herself, and decided that the topic was good enough to think about. She didn't get much time to think on it however as her time had come. Marie gulped nervously as the security guard led her towards the court room.

"I don't know if I can face them." Marie panicked slightly as the door came into sight, but Kaiba's image popped into her head and she calmed down.

"No. I said I was going to kick ass today, and that's what I'm gonna do!" Marie encouraged, and sucked up some air for more confidence. The doors were opened and everyone turned to see her.

"Your honor, I call Marie La May to the stand." the lawyer stated, and Marie walked forward and towards the judge at the head of the room. All of her friends gave her thumbs up for support, and smiles. Her family all nodded, which included Mokuba. Kaiba was another witness, as were Roland and Denise. Marie got up and the lawyer guided her to the stand and the judge turned with a friendly look in his eyes. Marie was doing well at ignoring her former captors sitting across the room. The Bible was brought up and Marie put her left hand on it while raising her right.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

"I do."

"You may proceed."

And that was it. Questions were asked, and Marie answered thoroughly and kept her cool, even when asked about what exactly happened to her. Marie noticed that the jury was writing a lot of notes, and that her parents way in the background looked determined and proud. When the opposing lawyer came up though, Marie steeled herself. She had been warned that they would make it look like she had volunteered to do those things, and that she should answer just the same truth.

Marie's face, instead of softening into fear, it hardened into slight anger, which seemed to take the lawyer off guard. Marie's weakness was gone, and there was no chance of her slipping up. Everyone gasped when he sat back down with a sigh after speaking with his clients.

"No questions, your honor." He called, and Marie blinked. She wasn't glaring or anything, she looked completely normal. It was strange that the lawyer had lost his determination.

"Now the jury will go into discussion to find a verdict." The judge stated, and the jury got up and left for another room. Marie was allowed to go sit with the prosecutor, who told her she did an amazing job with being brave. In those minutes, witnesses with different testimonies came in to hear the verdict, including Kaiba. He sat right behind Marie in the public area. Roland sat on his other side and Denise remained standing in the back.

After half an hour, the jury came back, and everyone in the room quieted to a deafening silence. The speaker for the jury stood.

"What is the verdict?" The judge asked. He seemed curious as well, though only his eyes showed it.

"The jury finds Donald, George and Miles McGorgan guilty on all counts." She announced, and there was a huge sigh of relief through the prosecutor's bench, with Marie being the mot relieved of all. She turned to Kaiba to give him a smile before turning back around.

"Sentencing will be next week on Wednesday the twenty first. Court dismissed." The judge called, and left promptly. Everyone began to chatter excitedly as the three men in orange jail uniforms were once again led away to return to prison. The prosecutor turned to Marie with a big grin.

"You did an excellent job. This case would have fallen apart without you. Now how about we get out of here so you can go see your family and friends." He said, and Marie shook his hand gratefully. Marie went around and met Kaiba first (Roland had gotten out of the way) and stood some distance away from him.

"Told you I'd kick ass today." She said defiantly, and Kaiba smirked.

"Don't let your head get so big it won't fit through the door."

"Step aside Seto, my momma awaits." Marie countered, sticking her tongue out and brushing past Seto. Her family embraced her in a tight hug. Friends came up and began talking to her about things, especially how much they couldn't wait for her to return to school.

Rin, Opal and Cari were obviously there, and squealed as they tackled her.

"We were so worried, but you got those bastards good!" Rin cried, and Marie began to laugh.

"You guys are crushing me, ha ha. Let go!" Marie coughed, still giggling.

It had to be one of the greatest days of her life.

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><p>Marie was going to school for the first time in a week. She was still under surveillance from Denise, but everything was normal aside from that.<p>

"Oh god..." Marie grumbled, getting in her car with Kaiba following.

"What now?"

"I have so much work to catch up on if I want to be Valedictorian."

"It's not like the school doesn't know what has happened to you."

"I know, but if it turns out that because of those thugs I don't get Valedictorian, there's going to be hell."

"It's just a stupid title."

"That also grants scholarships and has been the biggest dream I've ever had. Speaking of dreams, am I still going to be forced to be a popular, active duelist again?"

"Of course. Now that I've found you, you could bring my company publicity from Americans. You're quite useful."

"Gee, thanks. But um... there's something I need to talk to you about-"

"The kiss meant nothing."

"Okay."

And that was that. Marie and Seto didn't speak at all the rest of the way to jazz band. When Marie walked into the room, she was received with cheers.

"Congratulations and welcome back!" The band cheered, as every single person, even the people who weren't as psyched about band, was there. Marie grinned and rushed into the mob of people. It was amazing for everyone to be up so early, and it was all just to greet her on her first day back. Kaiba stood back and watched, staying back near the door. Although he had his usual scowl, on the inside he was almost... happy. And not just any kind of happy, but something that he had really never felt before. Kaiba knew he had lied when he said that the kiss meant nothing, but he didn't know what it had meant either. At least he had deterred Marie from thinking about anything romantic because Kaiba wanted none of that. And yet...

"Psst, hey, big brother can I come in?" Mokuba whispered cheekily, and Kaiba turned slightly surprised. Unlike himself, Mokuba was usually a late sleeper. Seto nodded and Mokuba stood beside him faithfully, and soon he garnered looks from everyone.

"Oh my gosh, is this your little brother? He's adorable!" one girl exclaimed, and the band went to see the famous Kaiba brothers. Seto rolled his eyes at Mokuba's praise.

"Now my little brother is going to get an ego as big as mine."

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><p>The day passed with many congrats on Marie's part, and the school welcomed her back with gusto. Marie loved every moment of it, especially since there were no reporters waiting for her after school. It felt pretty normal. There was one moment that garnered some attention however.<p>

It was Japanese class, and Mokuba had stuck around for the whole school day. Japanese 4 consisted of Marie, Seto, and one other person. This other person's Japanese class name is Miko. And Miko is important because she freaked Kaiba out slightly.

The trio walked into Japanese class as usual, though Mokuba was having a blast, as he was the star of the school. They sat down, and class started. Japanese 4 got their usual assignment of researching different speaking terms and to talk to each other. Even though Seto was a bad tempered person, he still helped greatly in this department.

Now, back to Miko. She set eyes on Mokuba, and Marie and Seto couldn't help but see a strange reaction. Marie knew the look well, as her friends sometimes got the same way when they saw a hot guy walking around.

"Hi there, what's your name?" Miko asked in Japanese, moving her chair so she was sitting next to Mokuba. She completely disregarded Kaiba's glare and Marie's outstretched arm to stop her.

"Um, my Name's Mokuba. I'm Seto's little brother." He answered in English, and Miko grinned.

"Oh, you speak English too? How talented." Miko complimented flirtatiously, and Marie grabbed her arm and dragged her to the corner of the room violently.

"Are you crazy? He's way too young for you to flirt with him, and Seto will kill you!" Marie whisper scolded, and Miko laughed lightly.

"What am I supposed to do, you've already got the older one wrapped around your finger. Besides, Mokuba will grow up. And when he's legal, it'll be gre-"

"I do NOT have to hear these strange fantasies of yours and Seto is NOT wrapped around my finger." Marie countered heatedly.

"Oh yeah? Well, I haven't seen you squabble yet. He doesn't even glare at you anymore." Miko pointed out, and Marie choked on that thought. The whole conversation was whispered, but their sensei joined them and asked if anything was wrong. Both girls shook their heads and made nervous Japanese replies. They explained they were trying out a newly discovered style of speaking. Their teacher understood, congratulated them and went back to teaching sannensei and ninensei.

"Just... Don't be too creepy, okay?" Marie sighed in defeat, and Miko cheered quietly, giving a peace sign for her victory. Both walked back to the brothers, who were wondering what the two were conversing about. The day went on normally aside from that. When Japanese ended, Miko gave a tearful farewell and Marie rolled her eyes at her dramatic antics.

"Mokuba, I suggest you don't come to school ever again." Marie stated, and Kaiba One understood. Kaiba Two didn't quite understand as much.

"But why not?"

"You just don't wanna know. Right Seto?" Marie turned the situation to him, seeing as Seto was the one who called the shots when it came to Mokuba.

"She's right. You'll just have to wait at home." He agreed, and Marie sighed inwardly with relief while Mokuba sulked a little.

Marie felt bad, but it couldn't be helped. Cradle robbers like Miko put Seto on edge, because he didn't see it as an acceptable behavior.

"Hey, lunch is next. You get to meet all of my friends!" Marie changed the subject, and Mokuba immediately lightened up.

"I bet they'll all as cool as you, huh?" Mokuba praised, but Marie and Seto glanced at each other in amusement.

"I wish that were true." Marie mumbled to him, and Kaiba smirked his approval of the statement.

Marie's first day back was, for the most part, everything she could have hoped for.

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><p><strong>Kind of eclectic, and the trial probably should have had more to it, but a lot of us can watch any crime show to get our fill of that. Not to mention that I didn't want to go all maniac into the court system of America.<strong>

**Miko, I hope you enjoyed. Everyone, I hope you enjoyed the fact that I FINALLY updated. And yes, I did have fun at band camp.**

**Please review, even if it's to tell me that I took too long. I really like to hear what you people have to say. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Want

**Wow, it's been a long time since I updated this story! I've been busy with lots of other stuff, so hopefully this will be much appreciated! I also hope that I write more for this story, and wrap it up the way I want to!**

**Anyways, thanks to everyone who have waited and waited! **

**I don't own YGO!, just the La May family and anyone else who is a figment of my own imagination.**

**FUN FACT!: The real Kingston Buccaneers are second seed for the playoffs this season. Only two, three years ago they were at the very bottom, never winning a game. In fact, my freshman year, we lost the homecoming game 76-0. We sucked then, but we rock now! Pretty dang good for a five year old school! Marie and Seto go to Kingston because it is a fun and pretty place that isn't stereotypical. **

**Ahem, ladies and gentlemen... Enjoy the new chapter! ^_^**

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><p>Kaiba realized that Marie was his equal in getting work done. She was like a machine, barely eating or sleeping to catch up on all that she had missed. Mokuba convinced him to help her when she got confused by something, but otherwise she was completing amazing work in a somewhat short amount of time, while still keeping up with current schoolwork.<p>

"My greatest satisfaction comes from when I hand it all in. Mostly because it's a giant stack of work that becomes unloaded from your worries. You can rest a little after that, but you have to keep working to make sure you don't fall behind." Marie told them time and time again in school. To Marie's fortune, all of her work paid off when she handed the last of it in a week after she had gotten everything done.

"I've never felt so free! I get to sleep now, and eat food by the bucket load! I'm so glad I have such a strong work ethic!" Marie cheered, driving home after school and nearly speeding while she was at it.

"Could you just focus on driving? Kill me and you'll regret it." Kaiba growled, impatience leaking into his voice. He had had quite enough of her overly happy attitude after having to deal with it all day. Though he had to admit to himself, it was better than her former moping.

"Oh! Crap, I'm speeding! Thanks Seto." Marie chirped, and slowed to the speed limit. Marie stole a glance at Kaiba before looking at the road again.

"So... Our first football game is this Friday. It'll be our first performance. But... Homecoming is next Friday, and of course the dance is on Saturday. Are you planning on going to the dance?" Marie inquired, though she already knew what his answer would be.

"I'm not going to anything of the sort. Why, do you want me to go?"

"Not at all, you would just ruin the festive air. I was only asking because I'm going... and I'm contemplating on going with someone who asked me out who I don't think is that bad."

"Are you asking for my permission or something?" Kaiba asked in slight disbelief. Marie giggled nervously.

"No, but you seem to good at telling if someone is a real scumbag or something. I don't have a very good record with telling who's good and all that-"

"So you want me to grant you permission?"

"No! I just want to make sure he isn't going to do anything to me..." Marie drifted off, and Kaiba watched as her eyes glazed over slightly.

"That incident." He thought, and crossed his arms with a grunt.

"Fine. I see what you mean."

"Thank you."

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><p>Kaiba doesn't like football games either. They were unnecessarily loud, obtuse and boring. It made things worse for him when he had to stand with the percussion section, while Marie was too far away to talk to.<p>

The band had worked all week on perfecting the first two movements of their show, and now that their first performance was on its way, the freshmen were nervous. Kaiba was not amused by the nervous freshmen, unlike the upperclassmen band members.

Kaiba found Marie in the mob of uniformed band students and watched her as she seemed to be soothing the worries of a freshman girl. He was almost entranced, but someone called his name.

"Seto! Hey, I'm here!" Mokuba called, waving to him as he ran up the stairs of the regional stadium. When Kaiba turned to talk, Mokuba broke out into a small fit of giggles.

"The bandanna sure looks weird on you. But the uniform looks really cool." Mokuba pointed out and Seto just grunted. Everyone thought everyone else looked amazing in these uniforms. He couldn't understand why it was so popular. He didn't have his shako because they were for the drummers in parade season (spring). Everyone else (besides the drummers) had theirs, though they were off and beneath the seats at the moment.

"GO KINGSTON! YEAH, LET'S DO THIS!" Marie cheered, making the band get riled up into cheering more.

"Wow, Marie is sure enjoying herself." Mokuba commented blandly, as their host family member smiled and laughed at something her second in command (always stood next to her and played first part) joked about.

Seto had found out another thing. Marie had won the most spirited section award when she was a freshman. She was the _only one_ in her section then (she played a different instrument). The next year, she won most spirited for the trumpet section, and last year, she was voted by the band to be most spirited overall. It wasn't surprising, but she did like to bring up these facts when someone tried to one-up her in the spirit department.

"Mokuba, you should go sit down. Unfortunately, I can't stand here talking." Seto ordered, and Mokuba grinned.

"Good luck in the marching show, big brother!" Mokuba wished, and went off to sit with Kirk, Georgia and Callia.

And though he was not completely aware of what he was doing, Seto went back to watching Marie.

* * *

><p>It was the Saturday after the game, and the Bucs had won. The show had gone well, Mokuba had gotten his laughs in at Seto, and everything was just peachy.<p>

"Seto, Mokuba! Time to get up, we have stuff to do!" Marie yelped, though she hadn't come to the door. Mokuba got up without a problem, swiftly getting dressed and making his way out for breakfast. Seto was not so quick. Despite the fact that he loathed the football game, he was bone tired because of it. All he did was basically roll over to resettle and return to sleep.

"Mokuba, where's your brother? I would've figured that he'd be awake before you." Marie rasped with astonishment. Mokuba's face scrunched up in confusion.

"What happened to your voice?"

"Cheering at football games always does this to me. Back to my question."

"I think he's really tired from the game. But you're right, it is strange that he isn't getting up anyway. He's relaxed a lot since he's come here." Mokuba replied with a shrug, and Marie's eyebrows knitted together.

"Relaxed? If this is relaxed, I don't want to know how he usually is in normal life." Marie thought, remembering the day she had picked him up from the airport.

"Why don't you eat breakfast? I'll go wake up Seto." Marie suggested with a sigh and stretch.

"Okay. Good luck." Mokuba well-wished, and Marie took that with a feeling of dread.

"He's probably going to be an incorrigible demon when he wakes up. Oh well." Marie thought, walking down the hall to the Kaiba room. Marie quietly opened the door and walked in to stand beside the bed. He was sleeping on his back, his head tilted towards her. Marie couldn't help but take in that calm face.

"Seto, it's time to wake up." Marie cooed, shaking the CEO slightly. His face scrunched up slightly but he didn't awaken. Marie huffed a little and shook more violently.

"I said it's time to wake up!" Marie commanded loudly, and finally his eyes flickered open.

"Good morning." Marie greeted, and Kaiba sat up slowly. Marie could see that he was still tired because he was moving about slowly. He turned towards her, his eyes still glazed over with sleep.

"You smell good." He complimented, and Marie blinked and backed away slightly.

"That's just freaky. And kind of creepy. Anyways, we're going shopping today, and you're coming with because it'll be fun. Oh, and Renaud is coming home on Monday, so you'd better make room for him. After all, before it was Callia's room, it was his."

"You have a pretty voice. You're just pretty." He muttered, and Marie couldn't help but let her cheeks warm at the compliments.

"Are you even listening to me?" Marie huffed, and put both her hands gently on Kaiba's cheeks and looked into his eyes. He was definitely still asleep.

"Seto!" Marie yelled, and the glossy look disappeared and he really, honestly and truly woke up. Marie hadn't let go of his face yet.

"Marie, I had a dream about you."

"Yeah, I could tell. You were basically telling me that I'm attractive."

"Why are your hands on my face?"

"I was making sure you were really sleep talking. It was to wake you up."

And with that, he freaked Marie out again by closing the distance between them and kissing her once more. Marie pulled back before she got too much into it.

"What was that? I thought you said that there was nothing, and you just did it again! Are you just really sleepy or something?" Marie shriek-whispered (as to not raise suspicion) backing away from Seto as he stood.

"I'll go to the dance with you. That guy who asked you out planned on standing you up. But we're not going to this lousy homecoming dance." Kaiba told her, and Marie opened her mouth and closed it again, confused and slightly maddened with the finality of his tone.

"And when did you decide this?"

"When I decided that you were good enough for me!"

"So if I was the same person, only a dirty wretch, you wouldn't care?"

"I never said that."

"What makes you think I want to go to whatever dance you're hinting at with you?"

Seto caught her with his lips again, only this time he ran his hand up her back. She hardly fought. He broke away.

"Because you want it."

"Seto, there are parents and children in this building!"

"I meant a relationship you moron!"

"Oh. But still, those didn't mean anything. You've been so stand-offish before, why would you give a damn now?"

"Because Mokuba convinced me that you were special!" He blurted, and all was silent.

"So I couldn't convince you, your brother had to tell you instead? That's an insult all in itself." Marie uttered, hurt pouring out in her words.

"It's not that Marie, Seto just doesn't trust his feelings most times. You should know that by now." Mokuba commented from the doorway, a big mischievous grin spread on his face.

"So... the first kiss actually meant something?" Marie said, more as a statement than a question.

"Sure."

"So you lied to me."

"It didn't mean anything then."

"Then why did you apparently get so worked up about it?"

"I wasn't worked up about it."

"Yes you were!" Mokuba chimed.

"Mokuba, I think it would be wise for you to leave the room. Better yet, let's go for a drive Seto." Marie suggested, though it was more of a command.

"I couldn't agree more." Seto agreed, and both stormed out of the room, went straight to Marie's car and drove off. Mokuba sat in the room where he had been left thinking over what had just happened.

"I hope I'm never like this with a girl. Seto gets in way over his head sometimes."

* * *

><p>"So, where would we be going instead of homecoming?" Marie asked after they were quite a ways out, seemingly wanting to make sure that no one was listening in.<p>

"I figured you would enjoy a corporate party held in the Sky City restaurant in Seattle Center." Marie nearly slammed the brakes in a very emotional surprise.

"The Space Needle?" She muttered with awe. Marie had been to the observation deck, but to eat in that fancy restaurant was one of her dreams. I mean, the room spins! How cool is that?

"Of course. I've had a taste of the poor life, now it's time you had a taste of my so-called 'ritzy' life." Kaiba replied simply, though he emphasized 'ritzy' with a ghost of a smile.

"I've already had my taste of the rich life, thank you very much. You're not doing this just so I'll get famous again, are you?" Marie inquired, pulling into the parking lot for the beach. Both got out of the car, Kaiba striding over and cutting Marie off before she could go anywhere.

"That has nothing to do with it. It's just a corporate party that I have to have to make sure that I'm still well in control of my company." Seto answered, though he edged around the fact that he was there to collect data and things like that, and Marie had helped him tremendously already. In his mind, he couldn't say it aloud because it would sound like he had been using her to gain publicity.

"And you want to take me... as your date?"

"We can call it that." Marie threw her hands up in exasperation at that.

"Are we dating or not? I'm not the type of person who does things just to get popular, you know that! If I started dating you, everyone would know, and there would be so many rumors going around that-"

"Marie, calm down. I thought you never cared what anyone else thought."

"I don't."

"You're acting like you do."

"I don't, I'm just afraid that someone will come after me again!" She yelled, her eyes welling up as she turned away.

Kaiba was silent with astonishment. He sighed, and put his hand on Marie's shoulder.

"No one will come after you. We'll just go as friends, nothing more. We'll always stay that way, I promise." Seto forced, though his voice was flat and cold like it usually was. Marie turned with wide eyes, a few tears escaping to her cheeks.

"Really?" His heart fluttered in his chest, but he fought to turn it to stone once more.

"Of course." A smile couldn't come to his face.

"Thank you Seto." She wrapped her arms around him and then walked off towards the lighthouse. Kaiba stood with his back to her.

For the first time in his life, Seto Kaiba was dealt the blow of a broken heart.

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><p><strong>I feel bad for Seto, honestly. Only girl he ever wanted to date doesn't want to. How about that for uncharacteristic? <strong>

**I hope it was an okay chapter, because I had to pull it out after writing for An Historic Discovery, which is based in Ancient Egypt. It's definitely a switch, lemme tell ya!**

**The next chapter will be Marie and Seto in Sky City (a real restaurant) and some fun things happen there!**

**Please review! I need to know what you think! Thoughts, ideas, constructive criticism, anything that you feel I should know or something! Heck, if you're from Washington, say hi with a flippin' private message, I would love it!**

**'Til next time everybody!**


	13. She Changed Her Mind

**Am I seriously updating this story? Wow. It's been nearly nine months! I guess I merely forgot about Kaiba, which I immediately regret because he's going to kill me and have my body dumped in a minefield. I'm almost surprised it hasn't happened yet. **

**FUN FACT!: This was all the way back in November (I've already graduated from high school as of this last June), but... Kingston High School's marching band finally placed in a serious marching competition. We may have gotten third but that is way better than we've ever done and usually judges don't like us because we're knew and they're biased towards older schools. We're uber proud! ^_^ **

**I lied in the last chapter guys. This chapter does not have the corporate party. Instead, you get a complete one-eighty from the ending of the last chapter! That should bring smiles all around! Plus this chapter is long. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p>The day was Sunday and the tension was mounting already towards the business meetingparty palooza. It was also one of virtual silence from Kaiba. If Kaiba was a woman, he would have a couple of journals filled with rants by this point. But he's not, and he is Seto Kaiba, so he just became a stoic piece of marble. Marie kept chugging away at full force, her terrible experience finally starting to get behind her. There was nothing really plaguing her at all. Well, except for Kaiba's sudden return to being a glacier. That was a little awkward, but at least she knew why.

Marie was beginning to think that she shouldn't have turned Kaiba down. Her heart and her brain duked it out almost constantly, leaving her distracted when it came to homework.

"He's worse than when we first met, if that's even possible. I guess I did let him down a little hard yesterday... But, I just don't want to go through a bunch of drama -more drama- than usual. Not to mention that the foreign exchange program would get super pissed because he's living with us and getting into a relationship is just plain EVIL!" Marie hissed to herself sarcastically. However, with Mokuba and Callia around, it wouldn't be easy for anything to happen. Not to mention that her protective older brother was coming back from Africa.

"Renaud is going to be really ticked off that I've been hanging around him." Marie groaned, but stopped thinking about it because she had stuff to do.

Her parents were gone with Callia to attend a birthday party at that moment, and she was supposed to go shopping with the Kaiba brothers.

"Whose brilliant idea was that?" Marie grumbled to herself, though she knew that it was her idea in the first place. Marie was feeling more hard pressed because Rin had declined the offer to go to the party in Sky City, along with the rest of her friends. She smelled a rat, but had no clue who it could have been.

"It'll just be me and some corporate people. That I can handle. The thing I can't handle is Seto Kaiba glaring coldly at everything because I rejected him! Honestly, you'd think the guy's never been denied before." Marie grumbled, but immediately slapped her forehead with a groan.

"I forgot: He hasn't been denied before. But there's a first time for everything. He needs to learn how to deal in the real world. That's what high school flings are for, after all!" Marie declared in defiance to her feelings.

"Okay guys, it's time to go! Seto, that includes you!" Marie yelled into the stairwell. Footsteps quickly ascended to the landing with all of their shoes, belonging to Mokuba. Seto's slow and paced thumps came from the upstairs hallway.

"I'm really excited to go look around! I haven't been shopping for cheap stuff in such a long time!" Mokuba cheered, scrambling to get his shoes on. It was a somewhat tactless comment on Mokuba's part, but it was harmless because Marie was used to having Seto say those things on purpose.

"I'm glad you're so excited. Although I don't see the sense in going dress shopping with a couple of boys." Marie replied, looking up to Seto with a smile. His glare didn't change, but Marie could see the difference in his eyes. Sadness was the root of his expression this time around, not just his usual cold personality. Marie immediately felt terrible. Maybe she could somehow get Mokuba's opinion about it. His little brother has known him longer than she, after all!

* * *

><p>The mall was something Mokuba had never seen. Especially in America. Kaiba and Marie had to tell him repeatedly not to run off, although Marie laughed about it while Kaiba just stayed his icy self. Although Marie would never admit it, she enjoyed going clothes shopping, especially for nice dresses.<p>

"So, are you going to stop being shy or go choose one?" Mokuba prodded, getting impatient because Marie was walking slowly and acting like she was just window shopping.

"Okay then, our first stop is JC Penney's because I have a rewards card there." Marie retorted, turning down one corner towards the store mentioned.

"Finally!" Mokuba chirped.

"Never in my life have I expected to have to go dress shopping with two guys. And those two guys being the Kaiba brothers, no less." Marie thought with a small laugh.

While Marie found dresses she liked (Mokuba pointing some out of course), Seto sat on a chair outside the dressing rooms. Marie found this as the perfect time to talk to Mokuba.

"Hey Mokuba, can I talk to you for a minute? It's about your brother." Marie hinted, gesturing towards a secluded corner of the store where they could talk but still look like they were searching for a dress.

"Sure."

"Well, I don't know if you know, but I bet you do because you're perceptive-"

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome- but I turned your brother down."

"On what?"

"A relationship."

"Oh... Yeah, I kinda figured that's what was up. Why did you refuse?"

"I'm scared of being kidnapped and all of that again. I know it sounds selfish, but that never would have happened if I never met your brother."

"Well, I don't know if I can change your mind, but I can bet that I can. You like Seto. And that takes guts. I mean, there're tons of girls out there who go gaga over him because of who he is."

Marie nodded in understanding.

"But you're the only one who actually _likes _him. You weren't afraid to challenge him to a duel."

"That's because I didn't know who he was."

"But you went through with it when you did find out!" Mokuba pointed out and Marie looked away with a faint blush and a pout.

"I bet Seto told Mokuba everything. Stupid..." Marie thought before Mokuba went on.

_"No girl has ever challenged Seto to a duel."_ Mokuba stated, which caught Marie's attention.

"Seriously? Sure, he's strong, but he's fun to play against." Marie snorted, before slapping a hand over her mouth.

"See? You're the only person who believes that! Even the acquaintances he has back home don't think that, and he duels with and against them all of the time!"

"And who are his acquaintances?"

"Well, he won't admit that they're his friends because they kind of are and kind of aren't, but Yugi and Jounouchi never back down from his challenges."

Marie sputtered at the two names.

"Could you name those two again?"

"Who? Oh, Mutou Yugi and Jounouchi Katsuya? You know who those two are, right?"

"I'd be insane not to know. Your brother keeps rather amazing company."

"I know. Their whole group of friends are all agreeable people who help Seto out a lot. But..."

"But Seto is who he is. He's independent. I understand, Mokuba."

"Anyways, he actually _likes _you too! He hates hanging around girls because they usually try to suck up to him. You know what I mean?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't really change the fact that I'm scared of being kidnapped."

"Marie, I've been kidnapped and stuff like that because of who my brother is. It doesn't mean I stop loving him though." Mokuba stated, staring Marie right in the eye. Marie gasped a little, unable to look away. She breathed in slowly.

"You think I should give it a try, then?" Marie asked quietly. Mokuba's expression brightened and he nodded enthusiastically.

"Seto's never had a girlfriend before! And I like you so I don't have a problem with it!" He exclaimed and Marie smiled softly.

"Okay, I still have a bit to sort out in my thoughts though. And I have to think about how I'm going to apologize to your brother. Let's keep this between us for now, okay?"

"Sounds good to me!" Mokuba replied ecstatically, and both returned to the area where Kaiba sat waiting. Mokuba slumped to the floor (there was only one chair) next to Kaiba while Marie held up a few dresses she found in her size.

"I'll be out to show you each one okay?" Marie told them before disappearing.

* * *

><p>Kaiba was a little curious as to why Marie and Mokuba had purposefully walked out of earshot to have their conversation. He didn't care enough to grill his younger brother however, and just sat back and waited for Marie to walk out.<p>

Kaiba dealt with his feelings by locking them away. They weren't going to do him any good, so he was trying to promptly forget about them. This process was made difficult because Marie was _everywhere_. How could he get rid of those useless thoughts if the mere sight of her brought them back up again? It wasn't helping that now he had to help pick out a dress for her. It had to be one of the most humiliating things he'd ever had to do.

"Okay, here comes the first one!" Marie called cheerfully. Kaiba looked up slowly in time to see Marie strut out in a snazzy red dress. It hugged her curves perfectly and the left side ended mid-thigh while the right went just past the knees. The hem was made of strands of the gauzy material the dress was made up of and was looser so that whoever wore it would seem to dance whenever she walked. The back dipped low to mid-back. The V-shaped neckline went down low enough to maintain modesty but still show that the woman had confidence.

Mokuba clapped as Marie twirled about, honestly feeling like she was in a dress that a contestant on 'Dancing with the Stars' would wear. With the right shoes and her hair and cosmetics done well, she could've passed as one. **The** Seto Kaiba, known as a man with the most self control on the planet, found it hard to look away or even speak.

"Will it fit well with what this party is going to be like?" Marie asked, staring directly at Kaiba. He shot away his silence by glaring at something past Marie's shoulder.

"Let's see what else you found first." He replied quietly and tried to be as cold as possible. Marie nodded and strode right back into the dressing rooms.

Marie broke out into a blush after getting safely inside her stall.

"I can't believe I wore something like that in front of someone! If I do get this dress (which I really hope I do!) I'm going to have to hide it from my mom. She'd never approve of it." Marie thought, carefully putting the dress back onto its hanger. The next one was a Chinese-style blue dress with yellow and white flowers embroidered into it. It was, to Marie, like wearing a tight shirt that went to mid-thigh. There were slits on the sides, and Marie was smart enough to ask a clerk if she could borrow a pair of black spandex shorts to accompany it. The dress made her feel like she just jumped out of Street Fighter, but it was still really pretty.

When she walked out, Kaiba again looked as if he approved, but didn't say so. Back Marie went to try on the final dress. There were others, but she liked these three the best. The final one was something Mokuba picked out (of course, it was on the really expensive end of the selection). But Marie had fallen in love with it already. It was floor length silky and flowing cloth with a long slit up the left side and embroidered with gold stitching. The bodice was done in a strapless corset style, which meant Marie had to get some help putting it on.

Marie felt like she just leapt out of a Greek legend. It was fabulous and airy and she felt as confident in it as she did in the other two. When she walked out, she got the same reaction from Kaiba and Mokuba cheered quietly. A clerk nearby gave Marie a thumbs-up and a grin.

"So... these are the three dresses that I think will work best. Which of them should I get?" Marie questioned, shuffling her feet shyly because Seto didn't look away or glare.

"Which one is the cheapest?" He asked suddenly and even Mokuba looked up at him in wonder.

"Uh... The Chinese style one. Why?"

"You'll buy that one and I'll buy the other two." Kaiba concluded and Marie's eyes nearly popped out of her skull.

"Are you crazy? You can't do that!" Marie argued, but Kaiba, despite having his feelings shot down, dared to give her an arrogant smirk.

"I do what I feel like doing." He replied smugly. Marie sucked her breath up to try and keep her blush down but couldn't, so she walked back to her dressing stall to get back into her normal clothing.

She came out with the chosen three and handed the red dress and the white dress to Mokuba, who offered to hold them. She followed Kaiba as he boldly walked to the cashier counter and paid for the two dresses (he coughed over near thirteen hundred bucks!) so stoically that the cashier didn't even try to make small talk. Marie stared at the floor and silently paid for her dress (on sale- 60 bucks, with spandex shorts- 15 bucks) and silently followed Kaiba back to her car. Mokuba handed her the bag with her other two dresses with a smile. Marie offered a small one back but couldn't begin to even look at Kaiba. She connected eyes with Mokuba and he winked. Marie knew that he meant to ride with Roland (who was nearby with Denise). Kaiba and Marie would be riding together. It was her opportunity to talk to him.

Once in the car and settled, and once Roland had already driven off, Kaiba put his hand over Marie's as she moved to put the car into reverse. He gripped it harshly, causing Marie to look at him at last.

"Why did Mokuba feel the need to leave you and I alone?" Kaiba demanded and Marie sighed.

"There's a lot that can happen in the course of a day. I mean, it's amazing how perspectives can change!" She laughed, avoiding a direct answer. Marie figured she could play around a little. After all, Kaiba should ultimately be glad to hear what she was about to say.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Seto snapped, scowl deepening.

"Mokuba figured that you and I could use some alone time. After all, I am going to your corporate party as your date." Marie answered nonchalantly. Kaiba took a breath to angrily reply but stopped as his ears computed what he heard.

"You changed your mind?"

"Girls do that a lot, Seto. Get used to it."

"Hmph. Fine. So where are we going now?"

"I gotta get shoes for those three dresses, but I was thinking lunch would be nice. If I know you, you don't know what a proper American date is like. And now that I've agreed to undergo the challenges of having you for a boyfriend, you're gonna have to agree to some of my terms and conditions. Since we're going all fancy-shmancy on Saturday, I figured we'd eat at Red Robin. How does that sound?" Marie explained, looking away, closing her eyes and sticking her nose aristocratically into the air. When he didn't respond, Marie peeked with one eye and saw him giving her a dashing smirk, arms crossed and leaned back. Marie left her pose behind to stare at him.

"Are we going or are you too captivated?"

"Ugh, you arrogant scut!" She growled, throwing the car into reverse and leaning over the side of the chair so she could back up. She grinned from ear to ear however, her head going into a flurry of light-headed thoughts. Red Robin was just across the parking lot on the other side of the mall so it was a short ride.

There was a long line awaiting them at the restaurant and Marie sat down on the seats provided and patted a spot next to her. It was between her and the wall, so Seto would have to snuggle up to her. It was a devilish plan. Seto quirked an eyebrow but sat none-the-less. Marie laid her hands on her lap, about to lace her fingers together before Kaiba snatched up her right with his left. When she looked up at him in (masked delight) surprise, he smirked once more.

"I thought this is what American couples do."

"I think most couples everywhere do this. You know, I haven't actually eaten here since my eleventh birthday. It was the last time we were together as a family before Renaud left."

"How old is your brother?"

"He's going to be twenty-four in May. We're around five and a half years apart. Callia wasn't born yet so Renaud doesn't really know her. But she loves him anyway. Every time he comes for a short visit or calls us he makes time to hang out with her." Marie explained, and Kaiba remained silent.

"Miss La May, your table is ready!" A waitress called and the couple stood and followed her to a corner of the main room.

"Your server today is Lisa and she'll right over!" The waitress chirped while handing us menus. She sped off towards the front again leaving the two sitting next to each other. It was the type of table where one side was a long, continuous booth seat and the other had a chair. They had literally gotten the corner so Marie was against the wall while Kaiba just perused the menu next to her.

"Um... You could have eased the discomfort and sat in the chair. Like normal people." Marie pointed out, though she wasn't all that uncomfortable. Unfortunately for her statement, it held no validity because Kaiba knew she was comfortable.

"We're not normal." Was his simple reply as he continued to look the menu over. Marie rolled her eyes and looked over her own menu. Her eyes lit up as she got an idea. Seto didn't notice her expression change because her menu was in front of her face. She took out a notepad and pen and quickly scribbled a note down. Seto did notice that but figured it was just Marie's eccentricity at work.

"Hey there you two! I'm Lisa and I'll be your server today. Can I start you off with some drinks?" A waitress asked cheerfully, going over to them from another table. She pulled out a notepad. Seto drew a quick breath to give his order until Marie smacked a hand over his mouth and handed over the note to Lisa. The waitress looked confused at first but read over the note scribbled on the paper. Her eyes lit up and she put a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggle.

"Oh yes, I can do that for you! No problem!" Lisa warbled and sauntered away. Marie's hand was ripped off of Seto's face by Seto's own hand. He kept a grip on her hand and glared down at her.

"What the hell was that?"

"Just doing something that couples usually do. I knew that if I'd asked you about it outright you'd refuse, so I didn't give you that option." Marie answered and continued to look at her menu so she could decide what to eat. Kaiba couldn't do much but stare. After a couple of minutes, Lisa came back a fairly large vanilla shake with two straws jutting out of it. She set it down with a huge grin and took out her notepad again.

"Are we all ready to order?" She asked quickly, so she could get out of their way. Marie ordered a burger without lettuce, tomato or mayo on it (mostly so she could take advantage of the endless steak fries), while Kaiba had some sort of salad, explaining later that he wasn't that hungry. Once Lisa left, he turned to Marie with an upped eyebrow.

"This was your grand scheme?"

"Sure! I've always wanted to do something like this. I even got it vanilla because I know you don't favor chocolate. Which is crazy, but whatever." Marie replied brightly and leaned forward to take her first sip. She sat back afterwards.

"It's good." She said, fluttering her eyelashes with a mocking tone of voice. Kaiba grunted and looked away, trying to seem miffed. On the inside however, he enjoyed the fact that she had enough guts to even try a stunt like that to him.

"Okay, I'll play along. Aren't we supposed to drink at the same time?" He inquired with a smirk. Marie mirrored his expression.

"You know it so well, I'm surprised. And actually quite charmed."

They both leaned forward and took a simultaneous drink, their eyes never straying from each other for a moment. Unbeknownst to them, there was a certain sneaky little kid with his own fancy camera to capture the moment so it could last forever. He took cover once more and thanked the waitresses around for helping him out and returned to his car.

"Are you ready to return to the house, Master Mokuba?"

"Yep. Thanks Roland."

"It's not a problem at all. Denise will watch after them." Roland finished and promptly set the car in motion. Mokuba settled back in his seat with a grin.

"This corporate party is going to rock!" He thought to himself gleefully.

Now that Seto Kaiba had a girlfriend, everyone everywhere was going to go nuts. And Mokuba knew a few people who Marie would love to meet. Mokuba pulled out his cell phone and began making arrangements. After many calls were made, Mokuba put the phone aside for a moment with a snicker.

"What is it Master Mokuba?" Roland dared to ask.

"The Geek Patrol (as my brother calls them) is coming to Seattle."

* * *

><p><strong>Oh snap, Yugi and the gang! Marie's going to flip out! And so is Seto. Is the relationship going to work? Meh, haven't decided. We'll see what happens. By the way, I LOVED describing those dresses. Especially the Street Fighter one. I loved playing that game with my best friend when we were little!<strong>

**So, tune in next time for an awesome party filled with geeks, duels, romance, and most important of all... BOOZE! :D **

**On that note of anticipation, please review. The more I get the more I update, for the most part. I'll probably update this more often now. I've gotten my spark back for it. SO PLEASE! Give me any constructive criticism or whatever you want to say. I also like ideas. So get to it!**


	14. My Parents Live to Make Things Difficult

**Hey guys. Um... I'm a lying liar from Liarsville. This chapter doesn't have the party. It has other stuff. And the chapter was getting long and I ended it on something rather hilarious. So... No party. YET!**

**So, I just started university. Went to my first drinking party and didn't drink (I'm saving myself for this bottle of sake my parents have hidden away) and am (I think) getting pretty close to a really cute tuba player! YAY! **

**Anyways, enough of that. College means I won't update as much. Stupid, but it's true. I hope you enjoy!**

**FUN FACT!: I may be going to University of Idaho and not University of Puget Sound like I once stated, but Marie is still going to go to UPS. And have fun doing it too! (And yes, I seriously have never had a drink before. Seeing my family history, I'd probably fall asleep. That's a bad idea at drinking parties).**

**Read and have fun!**

* * *

><p>Monday. A doomed day because Renaud is coming home. It is going to be a nightmare because he has yet to hear of Kaiba.<p>

"Marie, when will your older brother be home?" Mokuba asked innocently enough. Marie froze and gave a nervous laugh.

"Tonight. My parents are going to pick him up soon. And it'll be the start of the scariest days of my life."

"Why is that?"

"Your brother hasn't met my brother, and my brother is more protective than my dad is. Even if Renaud is in the Peace Corps." Marie explained and Mokuba winced.

"Sounds difficult. But you don't have to worry about the party; it'll be fun! I promise." Mokuba assured sincerely. Marie looked touched and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Thanks Mokuba. Seto and I have a bunch of homework to do now, so I'll see you later okay?"

"Sure. 'Homework.' I gotcha." Mokuba replied slyly with a wink.

"Not funny Mokuba." Marie snapped, red creeping up on her face. Mokuba shrugged and went to his shared bedroom. Marie jogged down the stairs to start up her homework session with Kaiba. AP Calculus was starting to melt Marie's brain and Kaiba had a firm hold on it.

Half an hour after beginning, Marie sighed with frustration and slammed her forehead on the table.

"This is hard." She groaned while Kaiba went on working.

"It doesn't help that you can't focus. I thought you were happy that your brother is coming home." He said finally, finishing the problem he was on and setting down his pencil before speaking.

"I am happy. But he's gonna flip out because you're here. I'm pretty sure you can handle it, but he's really protective when it comes to me and Callia. Promise me that you won't beat the crap out of him. I mean, stand up to him if you need to but don't have him kidnapped in the middle of the nigh-" Marie was interrupted by the placement of a finger on her lips, followed by an extremely warm kiss from Kaiba. It made Marie forget whatever she was ranting, as was his intention. He pulled back until his nose barely touched hers.

"Don't worry about it. I look forward to seeing you in one of those dresses on Saturday." He muttered, making Marie smile and roll her eyes. She leaned back from him.

"Thanks for getting me to focus on calculus, Seto. Really, you're working like a charm." She replied sarcastically, making Seto smirk. He moved back and got situated to return to his homework.

"It isn't that bad. What don't you understand?"

And so homework time continued with limited interruptions. Just as they finished, the phone rang and Marie leapt over clothes baskets and other miscellaneous obstacles to answer.

"Hello? Renaud! Uh-huh... Okay. That sucks. Okay! Love you too bro, can't wait. Bye." Was the short phone call that Kaiba could actually hear. Marie sighed when she hung up the phone.

"They'll be home in three to four hours. Traffic is murder apparently, and he hasn't even met up with my parents and Callia yet." Marie explained and turned to go into the stairwell because many thoughts arose about she and Kaiba being alone for a few hours. It was when she heard Kaiba give orders over the phone for Roland to take Mokuba out for fun for a few hours that her heartbeat really started to quicken.

"I am _not _ready for something like this! We only started officially dating yesterday! It's too soon! What's he thinking, getting us alone like that? He's crazy!" Marie thought, her mind rushing and began to hold her head. Not only was she afraid because she wasn't ready normally, but she still had her traumatic experience on her mind. What if Kaiba didn't let her say no?

"Why are you standing and staring at the stairs?" Seto asked from behind her, which caused her to squeak and turn nervously to him. He put away his phone and quirked an eyebrow, noting Marie's flushed expression.

"Uh... The sun looked nice?" Was her weak excuse, but Kaiba knew already why she had scooted away from him.

"Don't be stupid. Get your shoes on, I'll drive." Seto ordered, brushing past her to see his little brother out the door. Marie stood feeling guilty and like a fool. Kaiba had that effect.

"Well, I guess he has more class than I thought." A voice sounded in her mind, but Marie smiled and her nerves went down.

"He's always been classy. That's why he refuses to wear anything but designer clothing (different kind of classy but it still counts!) and makes lunch for me every day and guards me from the paparazzi and makes sure I don't deal with bullies who want to pick on me because of my connection to him and holds the door open for me even when he looks completely annoyed while doing so. In fact..." Marie pondered, setting herself up the nine or so steps to the landing to put her shoes on.

"He held every single door open for me yesterday. After I decided to be his girlfriend, of course." Marie finished, and felt her face heat up as she thought of his chivalry.

"A guy like that, a guy like Seto Kaiba, does not force himself on a girl. He's the best high school fling anyone could ask for." Marie thought sarcastically, though her thoughts went reeling at the very idea of their relationship being only a fling. It happened a lot when it came to high school; seniors would graduate and break up with their significant others because of the separation that comes with college. This especially happened if the significant other was in a lower grade.

But Marie not only had that to contend with, but Kaiba was a billionaire CEO. He would be busy, and in Japan, and just off doing whatever he wanted. Marie wanted to go to school in any big wig school that would take her. Marie wanted to become a professional trumpet player, even if her smarts promised so much more. But she planned on writing the grandest of symphonies, and many of those already written were written by geniuses, right?

In short, Marie wasn't going to hold anything back from the courtship, but she definitely wasn't going to hold out hope that it would last more than a few months. She had to think realistically.

"Are you ready? Let's go. Don't forget to lock the door." Kaiba chided, already out on the landing outside the front door. Marie rolled her eyes.

"Yes mother. Here are the keys. So where are we going, darling?" Marie replied sarcastically, after making sure the house was sealed up properly. Both she and Kaiba got in the car before he decided to reply.

"You'll see."

"And here I thought you'd say we were going crazy."

"Seto Kaiba never goes crazy."

"Seto Kaiba obviously does if he chose Marie La May as his girlfriend."

"True. You win."

"Seto Kaiba is conceding defeat?"

"Not really; Seto Kaiba just wants this conversation to end."

"Well fine then. Seto Kaiba and Marie La May had such a good one going and Seto Kaiba had to spoil it so soon." Marie finished with a huff. She immediately burst out laughing while Kaiba actually smiled while backing the car out.

"That's the first conversation I've had in third-person ever. I always knew there was a strange, weird, fun side to you." Marie giggled, tugging Seto's earlobe and laughing some more at the interesting frown he wore on his face.

"You're the strange one." He mumbled sullenly. Marie rolled her eyes and turned to gaze out the window. Wherever Seto was taking her, she trusted him enough to let him just go anywhere.

* * *

><p>They ended up in Poulsbo, with the sunset about to start. Marie led Seto to the waterfront side of Raab Park and sat him down on a bench to look over the calm water to watch. It was a clear cool night, with enough clouds to see the sun go down but still have the colorful effect that went with having clouds around twilight. She leaned her head on his shoulder and inwardly laughed because Kaiba didn't understand that he was <em>supposed<em> to put his arm around her. Oh well.

"I'm so glad you're such a gentleman."

"What?"

"We totally could've been doing other things and instead you brought me here. You're the best." Marie admitted, placing her hand atop his.

"Whatever. You're just predictable."

"I know, but you pretty much are too. Now put your arm around me fool."

Kaiba narrowed his eyes.

"Don't tell me what to do." He growled and crossed his arms to prove he wasn't going to do as asked. Marie shook her head lightly and rolled her eyes.

"Yep, totally predicted _that_ outcome beforehand. Told you you were easy to call. But that's okay, because I'm completely comfortable like this." Marie settled, and both sat silently watching the sunset over the glassy-watered bay.

The serenity of the moment became disturbed however by a loud, blaring Kansai-accented yell of disbelief.

* * *

><p>Mokuba had pulled it off. He had gotten Yugi, Jounouchi, Anzu, and Honda all to Washington without his brother knowing. While Seto had thought he was sending Mokuba out, it was actually a relief for the younger Kaiba. Now he could meet up with them after their long flight. Just a short helicopter ride was all it took to make it over the snarl of traffic and to the airport to pick them up.<p>

"Mokuba! Why exactly did you bring us here so quickly, anyway?" Yugi asked once the greetings were over and everyone got seated in the helicopter to fly back.

"Yeah, is rich boy in trouble?" Jounouchi yawned, feeling the effects of jet lag. Mokuba shook his head with an excited smile.

"Everything is great! Ever since my brother got into the foreign exchange program he's become happier! I know my brother when it comes to his emotions, you know." Mokuba explained and there was surprise at his comment.

"'Kaiba' and 'happy' in the same sentence? I never knew it could be possible!"

"Jounouchi, don't be an idiot! Continue, Mokuba." Anzu invited after smacking her blond friend on the back of the head.

"He's got a girlfriend now!" Mokuba exclaimed and it nearly bowled everyone over.

"Are you serious?" Honda asked first, recovering the fastest.

"I mean, it's nice, but we're just surprised." Yugi continued with a small smile. Despite anything Kaiba ever said, he was still a friend. Sort of. At least a little.

"I can understand that. She's done a lot of good for Seto. I think that you'd all like her, she's a really good duelist."

"What's her name? Of course I wanna meet this miracle worker!" Jounouchi laughed, leaning forward in his seat. Mokuba grinned.

"Her name's Marie La May."

"Whoa, I've heard of her from Pegasus!" Yugi exclaimed in wonder. All of his friends faced him in interest.

"Pegasus? He's in California, isn't he?" Anzu asked confused.

"Yeah the _company_ is based near San Francisco, but he once said that he adores Seattle and that he wished his younger self had gone there instead of San Francisco. And then he went on to tell me about the second-place national champion Marie La May, who had lost out to Bandit Keith. She was invited to both Duelist Kingdom and Battle City but apparently couldn't go for some reason." Yugi elaborated and Jounouchi grinned.

"A girl who isn't any better than me caught Kaiba's attention? Too funny!" He snickered, but Mokuba jumped to his feet angrily (they're in the big helicopter, no belts).

"Don't say that about her! She's a champion duelist like any of you! She didn't go to those tournaments because she couldn't afford it and she had tests in school and her parents wouldn't let her fly to Japan!" He yelled defensively, causing Jounouchi to cringe and sit back.

"Geez, didn't know I'd hit a nerve. Sorry." He apologized and crossed his arms sullenly. Mokuba sat back down calmly and accepted his apology. Hopefully Jounouchi wouldn't bring anything like that up around his brother or Marie, because he'd definitely pay for it. Yugi chuckled softly beside him.

"It sounds like you like her." He said. Mokuba grinned.

"She's been through a lot but she has a lot of guts"

"Obviously." Jounouchi muttered. He got an elbow to the ribs from Anzu.

"And she's done so much to Seto already even though bad things have happened to her because she started associating with him. I brought you guys here because I was talking to her one day and she really respects Yugi and Jounouchi." Mokuba explained more to the group and Jounouchi looked up as his name was mentioned.

"Me?"

"Yeah, which is why you should have more respect for her. I mean, who honestly has any respect for you in the dueling world?" Honda teased and Jounouchi (as was intended) snarled back in his face, causing them both to get into a slap fight with each other.

"You guys are stupid." Anzu muttered but gave a tired smile to Mokuba.

"We can't wait to meet her. Where are we going?" She asked with a yawn of her own.

"We're going to meet up with her and Seto now! So if you guys want to rest a little before you meet them that'd be okay with me." Mokuba replied and even Honda and Jounouchi stopped fighting for the chance for a little nap.

...

Soon, the helicopter was landing carefully on one of the side fields at North Kitsap High School (rival of Kingston) in Poulsbo. Roland had a limo waiting and another car for taking their luggage. After everyone was in the limo they started for Raab Park, in the historic district of downtown Poulsbo.

And that's where we find them now, with Jounouchi yelping in disbelief despite the former conversations. Seto Kaiba, the man with the most giant of sticks up his ass and the coldest, meanest demeanor of anyone on the planet, had a girl leaned up against him, both watching the sunset quietly and without any duels whatsoever.

Kaiba had recognized the voice and had jumped up to face the oncoming group that included his rival and the annoying mutt. Marie joined him in wonder but froze in surprise when she saw the group.

"What are _you _doing here?" Seto growled darkly, but his expression changed when Mokuba ran up to him.

"I thought maybe Marie would like to meet your pseudo-friends and your rival! She's a duelist too, Seto!"

"Mokuba, you did this?" Kaiba asked surprised. He hadn't even noticed, when he usually did. He'd have to be careful in the future that he didn't lose focus again.

Marie was still quiet and in a stunned silence at that. Kaiba turned to her once he saw that Mokuba was staring at her.

"Marie, are you okay?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and crossing his arms. She snapped out of her trance and stuttered for words.

"I uh... Oh wow..." She whispered, breathing deeply as she set eyes on both Jounouchi and Yugi. Kaiba rolled his eyes.

"You never acted like this when you found out who I was." He snorted and Marie turned to him with a pout, momentarily forgetting their company.

"You were pissing me off! You should be grateful I decided to duel you since I had a falling out with it!" She snarled, placing her hands on her hips. She stopped glaring at Kaiba when she heard a soft chuckle coming from the group.

"I heard about that falling out. We really should have met sooner." Yugi said and Marie turned slowly towards him with wide eyes. Yugi stepped forward and held out his hand.

"I'm Mutou Yugi. It's nice to meet you." He introduced and Marie had to get over her lump of awe that froze her to shake his hand. In Marie's mind, it was a moment more auspicious than any she could think of in her life. Thankfully she didn't fail to remember her Japanese.

"I'm La May Marie. It's very nice to meet you. I wish I had my deck and dueling disk because honestly I'd love to duel you for the fun of it. I know I probably won't win, but I like to have fun, you know?" Marie rambled, but stopped once she realized what she was saying and turned away embarrassed.

"Way to sound stupid!" She yelled at herself in her mind, but Yugi tapped her shoulder to gain her attention once more.

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to duel for a little fun! That's what the game is originally about after all." Yugi laughed, and Marie let a grateful smile come to her face.

"Thank you. So where are you guys all staying?" Marie asked, and the group looked between each other.

"We have no idea. Mokuba just flew us over in a hurry without many details." Anzu said unsure. Marie got a stunned look and her gaze went directly to Mokuba, who became fidgety and sheepish.

"Mokuba, where are they staying?"

"Uh... Well, I asked your parents about it, and they didn't seem to mind..."

"Mokuba, did you even think about what you've done? Now I'm going to be stuck in the same house as that mutt." Seto spat, glaring in the direction of Jounouchi. Marie slapped his shoulder for the rude gesture.

"You're not joking about my parents?"

Mokuba shook his head fervently while the group shifted about nervously.

"No way! But I was talking about bringing the gang here and they overheard me. They thought it would be interesting to have more guests in the house. I think they said it would be incentive to empty the attic/guest bedroom." Mokuba explained and Marie grimaced in disbelief.

"My parents are terrible creatures of torture and malice." She muttered, turning away with a rigid smile while rubbing her face.

"Hey now, is that the thanks we get for making your life interesting?" a voice called over. The whole group turned in surprise to find the rest of Marie's family standing there, including a member who had just returned home.

"Renaud!" Marie exclaimed, forgetting the awkward moment of having her family show up randomly to run up and tackle her older brother.

Renaud gave a small tired smile but everyone could tell that he is a spacey kind of guy. He had a dreamy look in his eyes.

"Hey little sis. So what's with all of the people?" Renaud asked, meeting the gaze of Seto Kaiba. To everyone's amazement, he didn't flinch. HE DIDN'T EVEN SEEM TO REACT!

"Renaud, this is Seto. He's the foreign exchange student from Japan. And behind him are our guests. New guests. Also from Japan." Marie explained nervously, but Renaud didn't glance away from Kaiba.

"Some gaming buddies, huh? I thought you dropped Duel Monsters after the 'rents didn't let you go to Battle City." Renaud replied casually. Said parents shifted their feet a little.

"No, Seto got me into the game again. I've come close to beating him. Kind of." Kaiba didn't say a word.

"I'm guessing you guys are friends?"

"Yeeeeaaah, about that... We're going out." Renaud's eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"Oh." He muttered under his breath and dropped his arm from around Marie's shoulders.

"Everyone, this is my older brother Renaud. He's awesome, but flighty. You'll get used to him." Marie introduced in Japanese, knowing that Renaud wouldn't understand her.

"Well, everyone get ready to go home!" Kirk called, and Marie rolled her eyes.

"They live to make things inconvenient for me." She thought and waved towards her new friends. Kaiba didn't feel like being sociable at that point and walked at the back of the group, trailing behind and watching Marie explain things to the Geek Squad. Renaud, before was fully attentive to his surroundings, walked up next to him and followed Kaiba's gaze blankly. His face upturned into a small smile.

"She's got a nice ass, doesn't she?"

Kaiba nodded his head slowly, in an absent-minded way. His brain kicked in however and his gaze snapped to Renaud with an incredulous glare. Renaud gave him a knowing expression and walked away.

Kaiba fumed at the stupidity of being caught staring at his girlfriend's butt. Sure, it is his territory now, but that kind of incident just doesn't happen to Seto Kaiba.

And now he's stuck with living around her older brother, too.

* * *

><p><strong>Dat ass. Oh yes, I wanted to do this since the conception of this story. Marie does have a nice butt. All that marching does the body good, you know. Renaud will bring up more awkwardness, I promise. But I seriously will make the party the next chapter. I just had to make this chapter because renaud comes in and so do Yugi and the Gang. It just got too long for my tastes. Please review and stuff. Now that I'm busy, I'll write for the stuff that gets my attention from favorites and reviews and stuff. You know the drill. <strong>


	15. Into the Sky (City)

**HOLY CRAP I'M BACK! Especially with this story that I haven't updated in forever and a half... Sorry about that. Life carries you away sometimes! I updated another story of mine recently, and I finally finished this chapter! I have actually been working on this chapter bit by bit for close to a year now. It's been slow, but I wanted to get a chapter out. And then, just a few weeks ago, I just exploded with this need to write. Hooray!**

**I don't own YGO! Or anything that obviously doesn't belong to me. You guys should know that. **

**FUN FACT!: So, last chapter (which was posted over a year ago I think) I mentioned that I've never had a drink. Yeah, in the time that's elapsed, that is a lie. Fireball Whiskey is a wonderful thing. Anyway, recently a really old anchor was found in Puget Sound, and it's thought to be the lost anchor of Vancouver, the first explorer here from the eighteenth century. It's really awesome!**

**Please enjoy the chapter, as you've waited quite awhile for it! :D**

* * *

><p>Marie and Kaiba had not a moment to themselves after it was decided that everyone would stay in the same house. Marie found out that Kaiba had been right in calling Jounouchi an idiot, though he was a lovable idiot so most times Kaiba got told off for having a stinky attitude.<p>

Marie made fast friends with the entire group of teenagers visiting her and learned much wisdom in Duel Monsters from Yugi (and Jounouchi, admittedly). But since the attic and living space was finally all clean and cramped up, Kaiba had to be the one to explain why exactly there were now four more teenagers filing in behind he and Marie. Thankfully, school officials didn't really want to argue with Seto Kaiba, so everything settled fairly quickly. The weekend approached faster than Marie could handle, initially she panicked(she still couldn't figure out which of the three dresses to wear, though Anzu helped out a lot in that department), though after the hectic week she welcomed anything with the words 'relaxing fun' in them. Though, she wasn't sure if Mokuba was just being condescending when he told her that the party would be that way.

The homecoming football game was tons of fun for Marie, as per the norm for her. Kaiba had tried in vain to get the Geek Squad to stay home and not see him in the ridiculous outfit.

"I've seen Kaiba in ridiculous outfits before but this one takes the cake!" Jounouchi guffawed, though Marie shut him up with a glare because she loved her band uniform. Not to mention she had beaten Jounouchi in two unofficial duels the day before.

"Blackmail is a beautiful thing, Jounouchi. I'd love to be the third ranked duelist in the world." She told him, and Kaiba smirked as he watched Jounouchi slink back to his seat in shame as his girlfriend turned back to the game triumphantly.

Oh, his girlfriend. She wasn't a problem at all for him. Kaiba's main problem is, of course, her older brother Renaud.

Kaiba's usual spot next to Marie? Gone. Heck, just finding a moment alone to talk to Marie was rarer still because of the presence of Yugi and his groupies.

But Mokuba and Marie seemed to be enjoying themselves intensely. Having so many people packed in her house and having her brother home was giving Marie a very large boost in happiness all around. He couldn't stoop himself to a level of ruining that.

"You know, you've been awfully quiet these past few days everywhere, Seto. Are you sick?" Marie asked, having trotted over quickly after getting a drink of water during the game. Her question was so innocent, and Seto had to grit his teeth to keep from venting his frustrations and leaving the game altogether after throwing away his monstrosity of a band uniform.

"Just get back to your section." He muttered, and Marie stared at him with furrowed eyebrows before wandering off back to the trumpets. Kaiba also just didn't feel like being around people. He wanted to work on his company. He had never gone so long without being in his tech lab, making something to push his beloved company even farther above the competition. The only problem with the party that would be happening the next night was that the Geek Squad would be there. He actually wasn't entirely sure whether having Marie there would be enjoyable or not. Either she would be angelic or a whiny, angry mess. Sometimes that happened with girls, as he had found out in situations before.

Mokuba kept telling him that she would have a lot of fun, but he just couldn't get over the feeling that something weird would happen at the party. Not necessarily good or bad, just weird. But, because Seto Kaiba doesn't like to listen to premonitions like that and believe himself, he wrote it off and got through the football game.

Saturday morning was quite the adventure.

Everyone was bushed from the excitement of Friday night, so of course they slept in late.

... So maybe it wasn't Saturday morning exactly.

Yugi and his friends were the first to rise, seeing as they only had to watch the game and not participate in any way.

Kaiba had been sleeping peacefully when a stinking mutt began to howl too loudly for him to handle. Despite still being in his nightclothes, Kaiba stomped out of his borrowed room (while Mokuba still somehow peacefully slept), and entered the front room glaring fiercely at Jounouchi.

The room had gone silent upon his arrival.

"Maybe you could explain to me why you're being so loud this early in the morning, mutt. I thought you were one of those who always preached about good manners!" Kaiba seethed, and both Jounouchi and Honda stood with angry expressions while Yugi looked apologetic and Anzu just concerned.

"Call it payback for all of the times you've been not-so-nice to us, pal!" Jounouchi growled right back, but Yugi hurriedly stepped in front, facing Kaiba.

"We're sorry we were a bit loud, Kaiba. We'll watch ourselves from now on." Yugi apologized, trying desperately to keep a fight from breaking out.

"Why are you so worked up anyway, aren't you up at the crack of dawn anyways?" Honda questioned, and Kaiba's scowl deepened.

"It's not me I'm worried about. It's-"

"It's nine o'clock. In the morning." Came a raggedy voice, a voice that silenced them all. Kaiba turned around to see what he was trying to prevent.

"Morning, charming. Tell me, does starting a fight sound like what a caring boyfriend who lets his girlfriend sleep in does? I don't think so. Go back to sleep." Marie ordered, looking up from a mound of bed hair, bags under her eyes.

Snickers came from Jounouchi and Honda as Kaiba glanced back at them with loathing before returning back into the recesses of the house.

They stopped when Marie's attention went to them.

"Be quiet. Go outside if you're going to be that way. Callia and I are going to sleep until we feel like waking up, and not before. Understood?" She ordered with a mull in her voice. But since her voice had hints of murder in it, the group agreed immediately. There was no need to add fuel to THAT fire.

Back she retreated, and Yugi noticed that before she went she glanced at the digital clock on the microwave.

It took fifteen minutes for her to come tearing out again.

"DEAR LORD IN HEAVEN IT'S TWELVE." She yelled, racing about the kitchen getting food. Shortly after a giggly Callia, drowsy Mokuba, and unfazed Kaiba emerged as her following. Kaiba stepped into the kitchen (he volunteered as tribute, as he is the boyfriend) to have her run into him and freak out.

"WE ALL HAVE TO GET READY."

"Marie, the party starts at seven."

"NOW."

"You're being stupid."

"NOOOOW."

"We have plenty of time."

"NOOOOOOOW."

"Arriving later is part of being popular, Marie. Haven't you ever heard of being fashionably late?"

"BUT MARCHING BAND MEANS NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW."

"This isn't marching band. Calm down and chew your food properly."

"But..."

Kaiba raised an eyebrow as she peered up into his eyes. She sighed, defeated.

"Okay. I'm calm. Kiss me."

That order caught Kaiba completely off guard, and everyone else could tell by the way he froze up.

"Why?"

"Because we're in a relationship and boyfriends kiss their girlfriends. Don't tell me you don't like it when we kiss."

Great, now he's stuck between a rock and a hard place and the whole room full of people including the biggest idiot the world has ever known is waiting in tense silence for his certain demise.

He did like kissing her, more than he would ever admit to anyone. But there were people. PEOPLE. WATCHING.

Thankfully for Kaiba, he got over his stage fright and carefully maneuvered Marie so that he blocked out the prying and inquisitive eyes with his tallness and briefly met her lips. It was quick, but was enough so that Marie wouldn't think other things. Yet another argument avoided thanks to the genius of Kaiba in boyfriend mode.

The rest of the day went fairly smoothly, and when the time came to leave Marie had shut herself and Anzu in the bathroom.

"She does realize we're on a schedule, right?" Kaiba muttered, but his little brother snickered.

"Seto, girls are always late for reasons like that. Shows how much time you spend goofing around on the internet."

"It shows how much less time you should be goofing around on the internet, Mokuba." Kaiba responded with a smirk, Mokuba laughing sheepishly.

And then of course, Renaud just had to get home from his part time job.

"I thought you guys would've cleared out of here already. Oh well, at least I get to see my little sister before she goes off." He mutters, staring straight at Kaiba the entire time. Kaiba didn't back down from the subtle challenge, and the two kept quiet in their stare down.

"Okay everyone, she's all ready!" Anzu chirped, slipping out of the hallway bathroom first in her own party dress. Yugi vehemently blushed at the sight of her: A strapless blue dress that made her eyes shine even more, with the skirt made of feathery ruffles that cascaded down just past her knees.

Next was a confident sashay of sparkling red. Marie wore the red dress, her dark hair in an updo made up of ringlets. Her makeup accentuated the bright spirit in her eyes, but without making her face seem like a mask. It was fiery, sassy, and daring. The smirk on her red lips had Kaiba internally reeling.

"Marie, you look awesome! You're gonna blow everyone else at the party outta the water!" Mokuba cheered, after seeing that his older brother had been stunned into silence. Marie glanced down to him with a kind smile.

"Thanks Mokuba, it's good to know that at least one of the Kaibas thinks I'm looking good." Marie replied, smirking at Seto and poking fun. He looked away with his stoic frown.

"Whatever. We need to get going, since you've already made us late."

"Being fashionably late is part of going to rich shindigs, isn't it?"

"Not when you're the host, Marie."

"That's not what you said earlier. Whatever, you're just embarrassed. Everyone ready to go? You look like it." Marie said, gazing about at the group with excitement.

"Yeah, we were just waitin' for you two! Now we can get goin'!" Jounouchi answered enthusiastically, his tie already loosened and his shirt slightly unbuttoned. Marie silently thanked the blond for not making a rude comment about how women always take forever getting ready. Just another way that he's been impressive. She's trying to make a list of reason for Seto to not hate on him so much.

Marie realizes, of course, that this is going to be a hefty task.

Getting into the private cars provided them for the ride to the chopper waiting at the closest field, the group went into light conversation, with Marie and Seto away in their own private car. It had been Mokuba's insistence, but Marie didn't know of it so she sat next to her manly iceberg somewhat awkwardly. Marie had been looking forward to car babble and now she only had Seto. He may be her boyfriend but that doesn't make him any more pleasant to talk to, especially when he got into one of his moods.

"So, you excited?" She asked, deciding to take care of the situation. Kaiba shifted slightly but remained silent.

"That's a resounding no. You're the one who organized this."

"I did not intend for the geek squad to be there."

"Oooh, that's what this is about. Are you jealous because I'm not paying enough attention to you like the rest of the world?" Marie teased, poking his cheek with a delicate finger. Before she could get a second poke in, he caught her hand and forced it back down, but hesitated slightly. His fingers laced with hers after a few seconds of stillness. Marie had to allow a tiny smile for that.

"Just not talkative. Okay. We can wait to be social later."

After her words, a small squeeze came from him as he stared out the window.

* * *

><p>The arrival at the Space Needle had Marie clinging to Kaiba's arm for dear life. Kaiba had ordained that the two would enter by themselves, letting Mokuba guide the rest up in a second group. Even Mokuba couldn't change his mind, as everyone knew that this type of event is something Kaiba would never truly enjoy.<p>

Kaiba stared down at his girlfriend and quirked an eyebrow.

"Afraid of heights all of a sudden?"

Marie jolted her head up and gently shook her head.

"I'm just hoping I don't screw up. And don't tease me, I'm not used to your world. Everyone up there will probably think I'm some stupid commoner who should've stayed with the poor people where she belongs." She voiced, and Kaiba left his teasing air behind to sigh.

"You're right: They probably will. But how is any of that different from what you deal with at that school of yours?" Kaiba responded, and Marie could only stare as her thoughts raced over his words.

"I... Wow. That's one of the most profound things you've ever said to me."

"You're welcome. Now please relax, or else I'll get negative publicity."

"If you cared about publicity you would be dating a supermodel. I know there's a couple who have practically thrown themselves at your feet." I sniffed, and the elevator operator seemed about to bust up in giggles.

"Hn. I guess you should feel lucky that I didn't fall for them, then."

Marie blushes with pleasure at the comment, curling an arm around his and leaning on his shoulder. The elevator halted.

"Here we are, Mister Kaiba, Miss La May. Welcome to Sky City!" The operator chirped, the door opening to a gorgeously decorated circular room. If one looked closely at the walls, they would see that the room is, in fact, spinning slowly. The restaurant had been outfitted for this particular type of gala. From the pictures Marie had seen before, it wasn't usually like this.

The carpeting is plush under her shoes, and the lighting was soft. Waiters in dapper uniforms stood out of the way holding trays with food, napkins, or champagne. If they were summoned by one of the elite in the crowd, they would weave their way through and offer their assistance.

"Seto, this is beautiful. Much better than Homecoming."

"Of course it is." Seto retorted, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. But for both of them, it really kind of was. Kaiba led Marie over to a particularly lavish group of guests to begin mingling. Marie couldn't believe he didn't want to just go watch from a corner, skulking like a cat.

"Ah, Mister Kaiba, how pleasant to see you! Who is this enchanting girl on your arm?" A man asked almost immediately. There's something oddly familiar about his voice to Marie, but there was no way that she could pinpoint the origin. For all she knows, she could've heard him on TV or something. He was tall with a round waist. Marie could tell, despite the smile and cheerful disposition, that this man was a ruthless businessman. The cold in his gray eyes did not leave. Marie didn't shudder merely because he didn't hold a candle to Seto's glare. Still, to Marie, this man would be dangerous to get in the way of.

"This is Marie La May, the Northwest Champion in Duel Monsters and my partner tonight." Kaiba answered smoothly, any traces of his discontent at the man's focus on Marie staying from his eyes and voice.

"Ah, Marie La May! You have been truly inspiring to my daughter and my son! They used to watch your duels all the time when you were competing. Any chance that you'll be appearing again any time soon?" He questioned, and Marie swallowed to clear her throat.

"I don't believe Mister Kaiba will let me in peace until I do." She answered, and the man barked a laugh and held out his hand.

"I'm Paul Fjester, and I own a large chunk of the construction companies around these parts." He introduced, and Marie shook his hand with a faltering smile. The bad feeling wouldn't leave her stomach.

"So, how did you and Mister Kaiba meet?" He asked, and Marie noticed that there was no lady on his arm, nor a ring on his finger. She wished that Kaiba would distract him somehow when another voice chimed in that Marie knew well.

"Oh Fjester, _everyone _knows how they met each other. Just read any magazine. Do you mind if I steal them for a moment, we are close friends and it's been too long since we've had a civilized conversation."He drawled, and Marie couldn't hide the excitement from her face as Kaiba rolled his eyes. Fjester sneered, but it flickered away to a smile.

"Of course. I see someone I wished to catch up with as well." He replied, dismissing himself and stalking off.

"So you really did manage to make it up here Pegasus." Seto muttered, and Pegasus smirked.

"Of course I did, Kaiba-boy. Anything to see you and my dear friend Marie again. How have you been doing, Marie? You look absolutely ravishing, too much so to be seen with your boyfriend here. How did you meet, by the way? One can never fully trust those magazines these days!" Pegasus conversed lightly, receiving a small hug from Marie and smiling triumphantly at Kaiba.

"You never told me you knew each other this well Marie."

"Oh hush, everyone has friends. You don't think I got so far by getting lucky, do you? Then I'd just be like Jounouchi and I know you don't want me to stoop to his level. I'm sure you're used to dealing with him anyway, but I apologize for him. As for how he met me, he's my foreign exchange student for the year. I guess it was just meant to be. I've been wondering what you've been up to, and I do really thank you for all of the special invitations to visit you in California. It's just been a busy senior year, and with Seto and everything that's happened..." Marie trailed off, her eyes saddening. Pegasus held up a finger and tutted.

"Now now, no need to explain yourself to me. We've both been busy. It's time for you to in the spotlight tonight, my dear. The rest of us here do you no justice. And as for you, Mister Kaiba, I'm surprised at you."

"What?"

Pegasus had gained a sharp and serious expression, gazing at Kaiba. He walked forward to speak quietly.

"I am surprised that you let someone like Mister Fjester here. Be careful around him, I've heard dreadful things. Ah, but I do believe I see Yugi-boy and his friends! It's simply time I greeted them again! See you later, lovebirds!" Pegasus waved off, leaving the two wondering what exactly was up with Mister Fjester, and giving Marie chills because Pegasus had confirmed that she was not wrong to feel anxious.

"Champagne, sir? Madam?" A butler asked politely, and Kaiba took one and looked down to see that Marie was deep in thought. He nudged her and she jumped.

"What?"

He raised an eyebrow at her.

"He is asking if you would like champagne." He clarified, and an internal war began inside her. If he weren't trying to be at his social best, Kaiba would've made an amusing comment on it.

"... But I'm not twenty-one..." She muttered, as if she were ashamed that she had even thought of breaking the law. Kaiba rolled his eyes, took a flute from the waiter's tray and sent him off before delicately wrapping her fingers around the stem. Her eyes snapped to his in awe and horror.

"Seto!"

"Marie, it's just champagne, it's not like you'll get drunk off of just this! I won't let you drink anything stronger." Kaiba chastised, and Marie looked to the bubbly alcoholic drink.

"Well... Okay. I think you're right." She responded with a smile, which Kaiba didn't return. She did, however, catch that his gaze on her was soft. Putting the glass to her lips, she took a dainty sip.

Kaiba had thought that champagne wouldn't be able to get to anyone with the current situation and atmosphere.

He came to realize as the night went on that he had made a serious error.

* * *

><p><strong>Dun Dun Duuuun! Alcohol makes an appearance! Now, I personally don't condone underage drinking, especially if you're in school. Alcohol can really do some serious damage, both to your body and your mind. There's a reason that the U.S. has the age limit at twenty-one. <strong>

**Anyways, how was it? Go ahead and tell me, and be nice! I'm a bit rusty, and even though I read through the story before I write and every time aI save to check for errors, I still miss them. **

**Follow, favorite, review, do whatever you feel like. I'm just glad you took time to read my humble story! See ya next time!**


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